Obama heads to Jordan to talk with King Abdullah
(CBS News) AMMAN - President Obama wraps up his three-day visit to Israel on Friday, making his way to Jordan to meet with King Abdullah, after urging Israelis to push for peace and promising his unwavering support for the Jewish state.
For the United States, Jordan is the second most important ally in the Middle East. Abdullah is dealing with a massive humanitarian crisis, with refugees spilling over the border from the Syrian war.
A million Syrian refugees are residing in Jordan, with 600,000 living in scattered homes and more than 4,000 in camps north of Amman, which is north of the Syrian border. If chemical weapons are used, there's the possibility of real problems throughout the region.
On Thursday, the president spent his last day in Israel consumed in symbolism. He paid tribute to the founder of modern Zionism, Theodore Herzl, who called in the 19th century for a Jewish homeland, and then laid a wreath at the grave of slain Israeli leader Yitzak Rabin.
President Obama also paid homage to the millions who died in the Holocaust, with a solemn visit and remarks at Jerusalem's Yad Vashem memorial.
At a speech much anticipated in Israel, and before an audience stocked with Obama supporters, the president declared emphatically that Israel is here to stay.
"Make no mistake: those who adhere to the ideology of rejecting Israel's right to exist might as well reject the earth beneath them and the sky above, because Israel is not going anywhere," said the president.
But Obama did not miss the opportunity to lecture Israelis on the daily struggles of their Palestinian neighbors.
"Put yourself in their shoes, look at the world through their eyes," said Obama. "It is not fair that a Palestinian child cannot grow up in a state of their own."
The Middle East peace process -- largely moribund -- appears miniscule next to what Israelis regard as the existential threat of a nuclear armed Iran. The Iranian republic is not there yet, but the issue dominated the private talks and public speeches of Obama's visit to the Holy Land.
"This is not a danger that can be contained. As president, I have said to the world that all options are on the table for achieving our objectives. America will do what we must to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran," said Obama.
For Major Garrett's full report, watch the video in the player above.