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Israeli Bedouin Claim Barack is Relative

November 13, 2008 10:19 AM

By Simon McGregor-Wood, Correspondent & Bureau Chief, ABC News Jerusalem

In a village in northern Israel the residents are preparing a big celebration – for President-elect Obama.

A tribe of Bedouin Arabs from Bir al-Maksour claims that Obama is a long-lost relative and tribal members are thrilled he has won the election.

Rt_obama_bedouin_israelis_081113_ma

“We are planning to send a large delegation to the United States where we will shake his hand and tell him congratulations,” said Sheikh Abdul Rahman Abdullah in an interview with the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Aharanot.

The sheikh claims a relative of Obama’s Kenyan grandmother married into the tribe in the 1930s in what was then British-ruled Palestine.

Since that marriage Abdullah maintains there are now 8,000 members of the tribe who may be able to claim some form of family connection to Obama.

Abdullah says he has documents to prove the family connection and has known about it for years. According to a similar report in today’s London Times he did not want to reveal the details of the connection in case it embarrassed Obama during the campaign.
In the meantime members of the tribe are being inundated with calls of congratulations from all over Israel.

The London Times says a letter the tribe sent to Obama has not yet been replied to but that has not affected the excitement and joy felt by the Bedouin tribal members.

They plan to host a special inauguration party in the village where sheep will be slaughtered in honor of the president-elect.

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November 13, 2008 in Simon McGregor-Wood | Permalink | User Comments (34)

User Comments

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America is truly a melting pot. Barack's election is a wonderful thing for the US and the world.

Posted by: SwiftyPA | Nov 13, 2008 11:10:58 AM

Well, the Kenyan grandmother on the TV is NOT Barack's father's mother - but a woman who raised his father. Barack and his grandmother in Kenya are NOT related by blood.
If they are talkin gabout his fathe's natural gradmother who is passed on - then that is another thing. barack has family who lives in the US too from the Dunham family. Guess we are all related
somehow.

His family tree just keeps getting bigger with his fame. He will still be the most loved POTUS our country will have ever seen, even if the GOP tries to make sure that he isn't.

The GOP will stay a minority if they try to destroy the good of our nation and impede Barack from getting things done.

Posted by: Independant American Woman | Nov 13, 2008 11:24:11 AM

get in line behind the UAW if you want a bail out

Posted by: al | Nov 13, 2008 12:08:12 PM

Maybe one of these long lost relatives will screw up and let the cat out of the bag=== disclose BHO was really born!

Posted by: roscoe02 | Nov 13, 2008 12:09:17 PM

This is getting better by the minute.
We all know BHO is black and white and muslim and Christian and now he's got Jewish relatives!?! I would tend to think this an embarrassment to anyone Jewish. I know I certainly wouldn't want to be linked to him on any branch of my family tree.

I strongly believe he also has some indonesian blood -- he sure looks it.

Posted by: laughingmore&more | Nov 13, 2008 12:20:53 PM

I'll say it's a good thing to have people want to identify with him,I wish Americans will support their president elect and get America back as the world's most powerful country...i hope the Republicans will do this and not remain negative.

Posted by: mendy | Nov 13, 2008 12:34:32 PM

And he is also my relative, even though I am from the far East. I am sure that my ancestors, from Alexander the Great and Marco Polo, to Genghis Khan were all also part of the equation. All these joker should all be put together in one padded room- LOL.

Posted by: Karen | Nov 13, 2008 12:42:05 PM

Ah, ha, ha, LOL!!!

All the nut cases are coming out and reacting both in the USA and abroad.

Only the real coo coos believe this stuff and feed on it, bon appetit!

Posted by: Marilyn | Nov 13, 2008 12:54:10 PM

Barack Obama is my mother's father's elder brother's step sister's husband's grand aunt's mother inlaw's greatgrand uncle's sister's granddaughter's step greatgrand son from the mother's grand uncle's side of the family.

I am related to him and I have the documents to prove it.

I will have a front sit at the inauguration and a guaranteed job in the Obama Administration.

We shall keep it all in the family.

Posted by: Steve_NJ | Nov 13, 2008 12:55:44 PM

Pretty freakin cool if you ask me. Maybe sense he has Palestinian roots he will be more sympathetic to the Palestinians (I doubt it though)

Posted by: Banned from ABC 40 times | Nov 13, 2008 12:58:26 PM

laughingmore&more:

Who is in your family tree???

We are all MUTTS!!!!

Posted by: sisterdearest09 | Nov 13, 2008 12:59:37 PM

for the first time in my 43 year life I am ashamed to be american. I will call myself Native American from no on, even though I am only 1/16th.It distances me from a president I am ashamed of. It is probably more of a percentage than Obama is African-American. Just what Palestine needed, an American president related to Israeli's. Boy the middle east is really gonna be happy with this. Obama cannot raise the bar, he has never been above it.

Posted by: USdoomed | Nov 13, 2008 2:11:12 PM

After this pathetic display of media favoritism for Barack Hussein Obama for the past 18 months, not asking the tough questions or asking for the documents to remove questions of his credential validity, I can tell that you GARGLE by the wording of your pathetic drivel, but I have only one question for the left wing media----now that your "messiah" is delivered, DO YOU SWALLOW OR SPIT!!! Sanyaman

Posted by: Sanyaman | Nov 13, 2008 2:18:34 PM

It appears that racism STILL abounds in America! Some of you people are just too ignorant for words! Of course there are Africans who marry into Bedouin tribes. Pick up a book will ya? Or better still travel beyond your block...visit Africa, as I have done; and, learn about another's culture for once!

Posted by: Vanessa | Nov 13, 2008 2:31:25 PM

USdoomed, relax bro, Bedouins are usually of arab decent. The only reason why they are considered Israeli is because they live in "Israel" and not the West Bank or Gaza strip. There are many Palestinians that live within Israel as second class citizens. Usually these Palestinians are the ones that were not killed or driven out by dirty jews during the creation of Israel in 1948. They are still considered Arabs that live within Israel, and they are still despised by the "jews".

This is part of a big problem that "Israel" is facing. Israel is trying to keep their majorty Jewish, but from current trends that is a losing battle. People are moving out of Israel for a more stable and less dangerous country. Also, there has been a huge decrease in immigrants moving into Israel. All this is happening while the Arabs are out breeding the Jews. It is estimated that within the next generation or two, "Israel" will lose its majority (sorry suckers) and a minority wont be able to control a rowdy majority for very long...

=]

Posted by: Citizen in FL | Nov 13, 2008 2:55:36 PM

I'm really not sure how they can make this claim. To my knowledge, no one has seen his original birth certificate! Who really knows who he is related to and where he was really born. A law suit is pending against BHO, the DNC and the Federal Election Commission requesting this document be delivered for review and examination for authenticity. The US Supreme Court has yet to rule on it.

Posted by: roscoe02 | Nov 13, 2008 3:08:34 PM

roscoe02,

Your delusion may lead to madness my friend and fellow prisoner.

Mental illness is not good especially when self inflicted.

Posted by: Steve_NJ | Nov 13, 2008 3:22:50 PM

BTW roscoe02, I don't care who his father was.

I know who his mother was. She carried that boy in her tommy for 9 months, so I know the boy is her baby.

The baby was born in Hawai, that is a known and irrefutable fact.

I know the baby mama.

I know I am related to the baby mama as stated above.

So I can infatically state that President-elect Barack Obama is a long lost brother from the Irish side of the family.

now whether some Jewish Arabs in the desert claim family affiliation to him or not is their business.

He is mine, he is my sister's baby boy, so ma baby boy because my sister is the baby mama.

Posted by: Steve_NJ | Nov 13, 2008 3:30:29 PM

Whoa people - Baraks relatives are Palestinian Arabs, not Jews. They just happen to live in Israel. They might be Israeli citizens, but they are Arab. With that said, I hope his relatives in Israel help to teach him the truth of what really goes on in Occupied Palestine.

Posted by: alioth | Nov 13, 2008 4:33:40 PM

I'm pretty sure he's a cousin of mine - and money is real tight right now, so....

Posted by: Neo Politicus | Nov 13, 2008 4:48:44 PM

Are you all seruious ? This whole stroy is a big joke here in Israel and you all take it as a fact.

This was first surfaced when one of bedouin claimed that Obama is his relative because of his body language that is similar to their body language.

Wow, I didn't think that many americans can swallow this bull*. Guess I was wrong

Posted by: Israeli | Nov 13, 2008 4:58:03 PM

vanessa, you bigot, at least research the facts before posting ignorant comments. Beduins are a nomand tribe, so while they have arab anthestry, they never have been called "palestinian". Arabs are not 2nd class citizens in Israel - they get to vote, have representation in the parlament, etc... israeli arab's quality of life is the highest in the Middle East.

Posted by: vanessa is a bigot | Nov 13, 2008 5:02:28 PM

Long-lost relative? Lol. To have been 'lost", he's been very high profile. How do they come up with such articles?

Posted by: bugg | Nov 13, 2008 5:49:44 PM

Bill Gates is my long lost relative. I'm sending a delegation to him to get my money.

Posted by: bugg | Nov 13, 2008 5:51:19 PM

Good Lord. I'm Democrat, Black, liberal... but this is too much. I love Obama, but this is getting out of hand.

Posted by: tonyette | Nov 13, 2008 6:14:08 PM

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