At Thursday’s State Department press conference — the day after President Obama directed the Democratic Party to re-instate in its platform the words “Jerusalem is and will remain the capital of Israel” — a reporter asked acting deputy spokesman Patrick Ventrell which city the U.S. recognizes as the capital of Israel. Mr. Ventrell responded as follows:
Well, as you know, longstanding Administration policy, both in this Administration and in previous administrations across both parties, is that the status of Jerusalem is an issue that should be resolved in final status negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. So that’s longstanding Administration policy and continues to be so.
That response produced several more tries by reporters (“I mean, no city is recognized as a capital by the U.S. Government?” “That means Jerusalem is not a part of Israel?” “Are there any other countries in the world where the U.S. doesn’t know what the capital is or won’t say what the capital of a country is?”) — each of which produced the same non-response from Ventrell. Another reporter tried a fifth time, and this time the colloquy was more pointed:
QUESTION: What does the U.S. think the capital of Israel is? What do you –
MR. VENTRELL: As I’ve just said, we believe that the status of Jerusalem is an issue that should be resolved in final status –
QUESTION: I’m not asking you that question. I’m asking you what you think the capital is.
MR. VENTRELL: And my response is that Jerusalem is an issue that should be resolved in final status negotiations.
QUESTION: She didn’t ask about Jerusalem, though.
MR. VENTRELL: Look, this is something we’ve been through at this podium. Toria has been through it before. We’ve repeated it many times. You know that the position is. It hasn’t changed for decades.
QUESTION: Wait, I know that. And I don’t want to play the verbal game, I’m just very curious if you actually have a position about a capital of that country. And if you don’t, if – I just would like to hear you say you don’t.
MR. VENTRELL: Well, right now, Nicole –
QUESTION: Yes.
MR. VENTRELL: — the situation is that we have an Embassy in Tel Aviv that represents our interests with the Government of Israel but that the issue of Jerusalem is one that has to be resolved between the two parties. That’s all I can say on this. [Emphasis added].
As the above exchange demonstrates, President Obama’s statement that “Jerusalem is and will remain the capital of Israel” was meant only for purposes of his platform and not for purposes of his policy. It has no more meaning for him in 2012 than it did in 2008, when he delivered the line to an AIPAC conference, complete with his trademark “Let me be clear” preface — and then proceeded to disregard it as soon as he left the building.
If President Obama ever holds another formal press conference, perhaps a reporter will ask how he was able to get the line into the platform but cannot get the State Department (or his own press secretary) to endorse even the first part of the sentence.
They're all %$*)@#%&. You know what that means. The Arabs who have been murdering Jews in Israel and attempting to destroy the nation are remnants of what's been left of Nazi Germany in the middle East. They keep trying to destroy the nation and murder the Jews and keep losing the aggressive wars they start. If it wasn't for OIL, the lying hypocrites in Washington and Europe would be content to have Israel take over the entire place. Except for the (many many) anti-Semites among them. Perhaps if Israel destroyed Saudi Arabia with nukes, or whatever, and took over the oil fields, the &^%#@()*& would 'learn' to love the Jews (or get no oil).
Obama announced at the outset that this was just his "personal opinion" and that it had no bearing on administration policy, or, in other words, it really isn't his personal opinion either, but the Jews were stupid enough to take it seriously in 2008 so why reuse the bait in 2012?
Convention votes come and go, but Jew-hatred is forever.
I think Obama has been a disaster for Israel, for the US, and for the world. But if Romeny is elected, I am not going to hold my breath for him to move the US embassy to Jerusalem either. But I will expect better from Romney on the 1949 armistices lines, resettling "Palestinian refugees" (most of whom are neither refugees nor Palestinian), and recognizing the threat of Hizbollah (and other Iranian proxies) and Hamas (and other Muslim brotherhood groups), none of which were restored to the Democratic Party's platform. n nAnd of course preventing Iran from gaining CAPABILITY to build nuclear weapons.
Why didn't Bush do it with a Republican majority in both houses? What did I miss? Was he lying about all that Christian friendship stuff? I think better of him usually, but perhaps I shoudn't.
Since reading that Daily Brief transcript (why do they not ID the questioners? such good questions), I actually start to wonder if the option of Jerusalem as an international city is being seriously reconsidered, as a gamechanger in the extraordinarily fluid political landscape of islamic nations. The hissy fit over Ramat Shlomo in 2010 was step 1…asking “That means Jerusalem is not a part of Israel?” was revelatory. n nThat transcript was so surreal, but I do hope SecClinton had a good night's sleep. I do appreciate her historic visit to East Timor.
During the short time that it was to be "an international city" the centuries old Jewish quarter of the old City was beseiged by Jordanians and eventually emptied of Jews, Jewish property was confiscated, holy sites were razed and deliberately desecrated, and Jews (as well as anyone with an Israeli stamp on their passport) were denied entry. All wiith the active and passive complicity of the UK and the passivity of the UN, the US and the "international community." n n19 years after the Jews were expelled, Israel liberated and reunited the city. During the 45 years since then, Israel has developed the City, improved access to holy sites of all religions and assured freedom of worship to all at their own holy sites (except for limits placed on Jews, who are still denied access to Jewish sites that are also claimed as hoily by Muslims). n nSo of course it makes perfect sense to take the city away from the Jewish state and trust the "international community" again after the splendid job it did last time, right?
The sickening demonstration on the convention floor during the platform amendment voice vote at least once and for all obliterated any pretense that the Democrat party is in any way supportive of Israel. Anti-Israel attitudes among the majority of Democrats has been a fact for many years now, but most American Jews have simply closed their eyes to it. That's no longer possible; Jews will have to look the truth in the eye and decide whether or not they actually care. I wonder how many truly do.
The name "Jerusalem" appears in Tanach, (the Hebrew Bible) a total of 669 times. nThe name Jerusalem does not appear in the Koran even once. n Jews the entire world over traditionally face toward Jerusalem when the pray. nJews in Jerusalem face toward the Har HaBayis (Temple Mount) when they pray. nMuslims the entire world over traditionally face Mecca in Saudi Arabia when they pray. nMuslims in Jerusalem, (yes, there actually are Muslims living in Israel) face Mecca when the pray and actually have their behinds facing the Mosques on the Temple Mount when they pray. nUntil the State of Israel was proclaimed fallowing a UN vote in 1948, Muslims never claimed Jerusalem as their Capital. nJerusalem has been the continuous heart and soul of the Jewish People since the time of King David.
First Presidential Debate: n nRomney: "Since the Democratic Party had to be reminded by Matt Drudge to reinstate Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in its platform, despite a voice vote against it, my first act as the new President of the US will be to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Mr President, don't wait for me to do it on January 20th, make it the first thing you announce after your important golf game tomorrow since you claim that Israel is America's strongest ally.. n nObama:…………………………………………………………………………………
As Norman Pdhoretz was quoted a few days ago in these pages: "If the Democratid Party mandated the eating of pork, they would still get a majority of Jewish votes." Abnd it's quaint to think anybody cares about pork or about thsoe jews who still care about pork. Jews are in favor of whatever the Democrats tell them to be in favor of. There is no explanation beyond that.
The State Department has an office in Jerusalem – East Jerusalem, that is. This office handles Palestinian affairs. The Tel Aviv office handles Israeli (i.e., Jewish) affairs. It has been that way for many years. So until the Jerusalem office (or new embassy) handles the affairs of all of Israel, the policy won't change – despite whatever Obama supporters say about Obama's "official" standing on Jerusalem. Besides, as the "vote" to add the amendment about Israel and Jerusalem (and G-d) revealed, most DNC members are not in favor of Israel, let alone naming Jerusalem as its capitol.
The only country (not recognized by Muslims!!) that according to the US has no capital is Israel. The whole country is the capital of the Jews, Jerusalem included. Democrats and Republicans play the same game with the support of liberal and democrat Jews. nThis is unlikely to change even under Romney. The State Dept control the issue. Oil and gas are too important to the US economy. Christians and Muslims should be given the rights to deal with their properties and NOTHING ELSE. nWill the Christians, seculars and Muslims start a new "croisade"? I doubt.
Having an embassy in a particular city doesn't make that city the capital. I would suppose (but don't know) that when the capital of Brazil moved in 1960 from Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia that for at least a short time a few embassies remained behind. Maybe the same happened when the capital of Germany moved from Bonn to Berlin. If so, having an embassy in Rio de Janeiro or Bonn would not make either of those cities the capital of their respective countries.