Obama to visit Israeli town targeted by militants

US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama intends to visit a southern Israeli town that is a frequent target of rockets fired by Palestinian militants in Gaza, campaign aides said on Tuesday.

The stop in Sderot is part of a crowded day of events on Wednesday in which the Illinois senator has also arranged to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on the West Bank and with Israeli leaders.

Susan Rice, a foreign policy advisor, said Obama wanted to go to Sderot because it is a “place in which Israel’s security is every day at risk and threatened. And Obama will have the opportunity to see that first hand and get a very personal feel for the everyday” difficulties. His schedule indicates he intends to spent slightly more than an hour there.