Barack Obama today pledged to put America's alliance with Israel at the heart of his foreign policy, as he used his first speech as the presumptive Democratic nominee to counter accusations of anti-Israeli bias that have dogged his candidacy.

In a speech to the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee, the country's most prominent pro-Israeli lobby, he challenged emails “filled with tall tales and dire warnings about a certain candidate for president” - referring to suggestions that he is a secret Muslim with a hidden agenda.

"Let me know if you see this guy named Barack Obama, because he sounds pretty scary,” he said.

Instead, he insisted, he was a "true friend" of Israel and regarded its security as his top priority. As President he would authorise a further $30 billion in assistance to Israel over the next decade, he added.

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Crucially, he insisted Jerusalem must always remain the capital of Israel and must never be divided, a pledge enthusiastically received by the 7,000-strong crowd.

To loud applause, he declared his "strong commitment to make sure the bond between the United States and Israel is unbreakable today, unbreakable tomorrow, unbreakable forever."

"Israel's security is sacrosanct, it is non-negotiable," he went on to say.

In a wide-ranging analysis of regional problems, the senator pledged action on the challenges to Israel from Hamas, Hizbollah, Syria and Iran, characterising the latter as "the greatest strategic threat in the Mid East to the United States and Israel in a generation."

On Monday, the Republican nominee-in-waiting John McCain expressed disgust for Mr Obama’s declared willingness to meet President Ahmadinejad of Iran without preconditions. “It’s hard to see what such a summit would gain, except an earful of anti-Semitic rants and a worldwide audience for a man who denies one Holocaust and talks about starting another,” he said.

Mr McCain went on to declare that Mr Obama’s plan for a withdrawal of US troops from Iraq would “result in a catastrophe” and a potential terrorist sanctuary in the heart of the Middle East. This, he said, “would profoundly affect the security of the United States, Israel and our other friends”.

But Mr Obama dismissed such claims, painting a McCain presidency as a continuation of the "failed policy" that had lead to a Gaza controlled by Hamas extremists, an emboldened Iran and an America hamstrung by its involvement in Iraq.

"We must be clear-eyed about the failure of today's policy," he said, proposing a phased withdrawal from Iraq and a tough diplomacy with Iran based on "meaningful incentives" and the threat of further sanctions.

Military action against Iran would "always remain on the table," he added.

"I have no interest in sitting down with our adversaries for the sake of it," Mr Obama stressed. Pledging that any such talks would take place only after careful preparation and close coordination with allies including Israel, he said: "I would be willing to lead tough and principled diplomacy with the appropriate Iranian leader at a time and place of my choosing and only if it can advance American and Israeli interests."

And in a swipe at President Bush, he said he would not wait until "the waning days" of his presidency to push for a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Outlining a vision of two nations "living side by side in peace and security," Mr Obama spoke of the need for a "cohesive and contiguous" Palestinian state. However he would never force concessions on Israel but only help resolve stalemates, he said.

"Any agreement with the Palestinian people must preserve Israel’s identity as a Jewish state, with secure, recognised and defensible borders," he insisted.

There could be no negotiation with Hamas until it had renounced terrorism, acknowledged Israel's right to exist and stood by existing agreements, he said, noting that he had opposed 2006 Palestinian Authority elections with Hamas on the ballot.

But, he insisted: "A secure and lasting peace is in Israel's interest, it is in America's interest and it is in the interest of the Palestinian people and the Arab world."

Mr Obama was followed on stage by his vanquished rival Hillary Clinton. She once again resisted calls to concede defeat but told the audience “he will be a good friend to Israel.”

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