14 Nov 2008

Obama aide in 'anti-Arab' row

Rahm Emanuel, US president-elect Barack Obama's chief of staff, has apologised to an Arab-American group for comments made by his father that disparaged Arabs.

Benjamin Emanuel was reported as telling an Israeli newspaper about his son last week: "Obviously, he will influence the president to be pro-Israel. Why wouldn't he?

"What is he, an Arab? He's not going to clean the floors of the White House."

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee had sent a letter to Emanuel calling on him to distance himself from his father's remarks.  Al Jazeera