See also:
– Jay Carney Refuses To Identify Capital Of Israel Twice In White House Press Briefing (Video)
– Presenting The Democratic National Convention’s “Ron Paul Moment” (ZeroHedge, Sep 5, 2012):
Moments ago we learned that the Democrats have once again reinstated language into their party platform that recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel as well as the words “God-given” that were removed in this year’s platform. However, the ‘vote’ on this controversial decision (shown in the clip below), brings back vivid memories of the GOP convention’s own Ron Paul moment; and must be seen to be believed as the true state of our nation’s “democratic process” is once again exposed for all to see. Simply remarkable…
And this happened earlier:
After sharp criticism from Mitt Romney and Republicans, the Democrats have reinstated the language into their party platform that recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel as well as the words “God-given” that were removed in this year’s platform.
The platform released by Democrats Monday evening dropped a clause included in the 2008 platform that read: “Jerusalem is and will remain the capital of Israel.” That platform went on to say, however, that “[t]he parties have agreed that Jerusalem is a matter for final status negotiations. It should remain an undivided city accessible to people of all faiths.”
The party reinstated the 2008 language into this year’s platform to “reflect the President’s personal view,” CBS News has learned.
Israel maintains that its capital is Jerusalem, but the United States and other nations maintain embassies in Tel Aviv because East Jerusalem is contested by the Palestinians, who see it as a potential capital for their state.
Romney called Jerusalem “the capital of Israel” in July, prompting criticism from the Palestinians as well as China. Senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat called the comment “absolutely unacceptable.”
But as a presidential candidate, Mr. Obama said in 2008 that “Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel and it must remain undivided,” though he later softened his stance and said he is not trying to “predetermine” the final status of the city. As president, he has maintained that, as his campaign put it to CBS News, “the capital is something that should be determined in final status negotiations between the parties.”
Romney said in a statement Tuesday that it’s “unfortunate that the entire Democratic Party has embraced President Obama’s shameful refusal to acknowledge that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital.”
“Four years of President Obama’s repeated attempts to create distance between the United States and our cherished ally have led the Democratic Party to remove from their platform an unequivocal acknowledgment of a simple reality,” he said. “As president, I will restore our relationship with Israel and stand shoulder to shoulder with our close ally.”
Meantime, the word “God” was dropped from a paragraph that, in 2008, spoke of giving those willing to work the opportunity to “make the most of their God-given potential.” In this year’s platform a similar paragraph reads “the simple principle that in America, hard work should pay off, responsibility should be rewarded, and each one of us should be able to go as far as our talent and drive take us.”