Obama helps mom's campaign to get 4 kids back

JERUSALEM -- While meeting with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salim Fayyad on Wednesday, Barack Obama appealed to him on behalf of a suburban Chicago woman who is fighting to get her four daughters back after their father refused to let them leave the West Bank.

Obama handed Fayyad a note and some background information about the situation, "asking the prime minister to look into this issue."

Colleen Davis Bargouthi, who lives in south suburban Midlothian, pressed Obama to visit her daughters, who live near Ramallah. The girls, ages 6 to 11, have been there since 2007, when her husband, Yasser Shibli Bargouthi, took his family to the West Bank to visit relatives.

Obama made a specific request of the Palestinian Authority in the note, according to a statement. "I would ask that the minister of justice look into this case, and our consul general will follow up."

Lynn Sweet