Haaretz, Israel's oldest newspaper and one of it's most influential, has endorsed Barack Obama for reelection.

The newspaper, published in both Hebrew and English, is one of the most liberal in Israel. The article was published as an editorial today, titled "Obama is good for Israel."

Here's a key passage:

Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, assisted Israel's defense by toppling Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq and deterring, albeit for a limited period, Iran's accelerated progress toward attaining nuclear weapons. Bush contributed to Israel's peace, even if partially, by being the first president to adopt the two-state solution. His support even enabled the evacuation of settlements from the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank.

Obama continued this two-way track vis-a-vis Iran and the issue of Palestinian statehood. Under his pressure, Israel suspended for the first time - for a while - construction in the settlements. Relations between the two countries' armed forces have never been so close. Obama's challenge in his second term, if he wins the elections, is to lead the region to a stable arrangement of peace and security.

Mitt Romney has tried to portray himself as a greater friend to Israel than Obama during the campaign, a tactic that may have worked — 1 in 3 Israeli Jews in a recent poll said they supported the Republican, according to Reuters.