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Last update - 09:49 01/08/2008
Obama helps U.S. woman fight Palestinian husband for their daughters
By The Associated Press
Tags: israel, west bank 

An American woman fighting to get back four daughters living in the West Bank with their Palestinian father has gotten unusually high-powered help - from Barack Obama.

The U.S. presidential hopeful raised the case of the Chicago-area woman in his meeting with Palestinian leaders last week, and won a promise from Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to look into the matter.

And that's how the private battle between Yasser and Colleen Barghouti, which spans continents and cultures, took a public turn. In separate interviews, the two offered conflicting explanations of what brought the family to Barghouti's home village of Kobar in June 2007.
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It's a village of several thousand people 10 minutes from the city of Ramallah, where Obama met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Fayyad last week.

The girls - 11-year-old Emily, 8-year-old Hannah, 6-year-old Amanda and 5-year-old Sarah - were watching a Jennifer Aniston movie and their aunt was cooking lunch when the U.S. officials arrived for a 70-minute inspection.

Emily told the visitors she misses her mother and wants her parents reunited. "We want to be one family, no matter where we live," she said.

Barghouti said his wife is welcome in the West Bank, but acknowledged he has filed for divorce.

Mrs. Barghouti said she won't return to the West Bank, alleging that during her stay her husband was abusive and once laid two guns on a table, accompanied by a threat to kill her.

Barghouti said he owns no guns and denies threatening his wife.

The couple met in 1993, while he studied in the U.S. and she worked as a waitress. They married a year later, and Barghouti adopted his wife's young son, Rick.

After the family came to Kobar, Barghouti started working for a workers' rights organization.

The family lived in a relative's vacant home in Kobar, and in the fall, Rick and the two older girls attended a private school which, according to its principal, follows a U.S. curriculum.

Mrs. Barghouti said that at one point, she asked to remove the girls from an Islamic religion class after the teacher told them they should wear head scarves. She said her husband complied.

Barghouti said his wife went to the U.S. in November, then came back to Kobar and became increasingly insistent that the family return to Illinois. He said he urged her to make a life in the West Bank.

Many Palestinians believe the West Bank is a decent place to raise children, despite years of Israeli-Palestinian fighting. They point to the stability of life in extended families, and contrast it with the greater availability of drugs in American schools.

While life is often disrupted by Israeli army checkpoints, street violence has declined sharply in the last two years.


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      1.   Misleading situation.... 21:44  |  Palestinian Brit 31/07/08
      2.   its called `parental kidnapping` 22:20  |  American Attorney 31/07/08
      3.   What bliss for holidays, happily learning arabic 22:44  |  x-ray 31/07/08
      4.   Palestinian Brit, every situation is different 22:57  |  Zev Davis 31/07/08
      5.   Zeev Davis 23:20  |  Palestinian Brit 31/07/08
      6.   Laws differ 23:22  |  jackie 31/07/08
      7.   Occupation doesn`t drive us away...N0 3 23:31  |  Palestinian Brit 31/07/08
      8.   American Attorney??????? 23:48  |  Palestinian Brit 31/07/08
      9.   Jackie 00:05  |  Palestinian Brit 01/08/08
      10.   Jackie 00:05  |  Palestinian Brit 01/08/08
      11.   it is real, Jewish Palestine and Arab Palestine are good places 00:23  |  z 01/08/08
      12.   Cheap shot from Obama 00:30  |  Ismail 01/08/08
      13.   Palestinian Brit 01:04  |  judith 01/08/08
      14.   Palestinian muslims 01:07  |  cucou 01/08/08
      15.   shades of Elian Gonzalez 01:16  |  Pssd Off American 01/08/08
      16.   Obama should worry 01:17  |  Joe 01/08/08
      17.   It`s the occupation. 01:19  |  Maureen Ann 01/08/08
      18.   Children`s rights to both their parents 01:29  |  Joseph 01/08/08
      19.   Palestinian Brit 9 01:32  |  ChanahS 01/08/08
      20.   Ismail 12 01:34  |  ChanahS 01/08/08
      21.   Again a violent Barghouti name from the terrorist family comes up 02:09  |  Genuine Tosefta 01/08/08
      22.   Never thought I would write supporting pali rights, but 02:12  |  Arie 01/08/08
      23.   to palestinian brit 02:20  |  maya 01/08/08
      24.   scores vow 02:54  |  Shmuelshachor 01/08/08
      25.   LET HIM CONTINUE IN BEING A LAWYER;IT`S THE ONLY THING HE KNOWS; 03:44  |  glenna 01/08/08
      26.   Le Divorce 03:59  |  Aphemia 01/08/08
      27.   #20 ChanahS. About American citizens... 04:01  |  Maureen Ann 01/08/08
      28.   To Palestinian Brit 04:25  |  Elianah 01/08/08
      29.   Palestinian Brit stop BS and look at FACTS 05:13  |  Victor_the_Egyptian 01/08/08
      30.   #17Maureen 05:29  |  Rab Burns 01/08/08
      31.   Pal brit and about many wivesssssss 06:07  |  Victor_the_Egyptian 01/08/08
      32.   Pal Brit ??? 06:25  |  Jake 01/08/08
      33.   Channah S 08:14  |  Palestinian Brit 01/08/08
      34.   No 23. So is Jerusalem liberated or occupied? 08:17  |  Palestinian Brit 01/08/08
      35.   Victor 08:31  |  Tareq 01/08/08
      36.   American Attorney 09:59  |  Texan Attorney 01/08/08
      37.   To Palestinian Brit #1 10:00  |  S 01/08/08
      38.   jackie 10:03  |  Texan Attorney 01/08/08
      39.   jake 10:06  |  Texan Attorney 01/08/08
      40.   Moron Ann 27 10:08  |  ChanahS 01/08/08
      41.   Victor 10:10  |  Texan Attorney 01/08/08
      42.   Victor the Egyptian (I know your type) 10:10  |  Lambo 01/08/08
      43.   Victor the Egyptian: You lived in Cairo 10:17  |  Lambo 01/08/08
      44.   OBAMA SHOULDN`T PUSH IT TOO FAR 10:25  |  indrajaya 01/08/08
      45.   Maureen Ann 10:39  |  Victoria 01/08/08
      46.   very misleading situation 10:41  |  Victoria 01/08/08
      47.   Pal Brit 11:25  |  Brit Brit 01/08/08
      48.   Pal Brit 33 11:46  |  ChanahS 01/08/08
      49.   Tareq 35 11:48  |  ChanahS 01/08/08
      50.   #1; Palestinian culture doesn`t exist! These girls are American! 12:47  |  Palestiniansareamyth 01/08/08
      51.   What a great opportunity 12:52  |  Sabra 01/08/08
      52.   Sabra.Who brainwashed you? 13:37  |  Palestinian Brit 01/08/08
      53.   Do not attack me for my views on Muslim marriage 14:03  |  Jackie 01/08/08
      54.   Parents Need Mediation to Allow Both to See Children 14:14  |  Jane 01/08/08
      55.   Colleen Barghouti Has No Case 15:11  |  Jeff Northridge 01/08/08
      56.   Ah, another case of "Palestinian" justice. 15:26  |  Petra 01/08/08
      57.   Don`t expect help from Israel 15:30  |  Tosefta 01/08/08
      58.   Wisdom of Solomon 15:32  |  Ian 01/08/08
      59.   Don`t expect help from Israel 15:51  |  Tosefta 01/08/08
      60.   OBAMA GETS INVOLVED BECAUSE HE IS BLACK AND KNOWS TOO WELL 15:56  |  indrajaya 01/08/08
      61.   so, now we learn why Obama met with Abbas 16:23  |  Susanna/Shoshana 01/08/08
      62.   55 Jeff Northridge - All Daughters are American 16:59  |  Mark of Lewiston 01/08/08
      63.   The Palestinians don`t know what they want 16:59  |  Great White North 01/08/08
      64.   58 Indrajaya - Constituent Services 17:15  |  Mark of Lewiston