By DAVID ESPO 07.23.08, 3:41 PM ET From the solemnity of a Holocaust museum to a dusty village battered by Hamas rockets, Democratic presidential contender

Sen. Barack Obama's whirlwind tour of the Middle East and Europe, as everyone knows, has its primary intended audience in the United States. The trip amounts to a high-mileage campaign swing aimed at impressing voters at home. In Israel, however, a local audience without the right to vote in America is paying close attention. And the conclusion that Israelis and their leaders reach about this would-be U.S. commander-in-chief could shape their decision about what to do in the coming months regarding Iran. To put it bluntly, Obama's behavior in Israel and during the rest of his trip could determine whether or not Israel decides to attack Iran before the next American president

SDEROT, Israel (AP) — From the solemnity of a Holocaust museum to a dusty village battered by Hamas rockets, Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama

By MARK MOONEY and ED O'KEEFE Sen. Barack Obama claims that a "history of weak sanctions" on countries like North Korea and Iran has created "this slow