Flip-flopping coward.
Obama Backs Away From Comment on Divided Jerusalem
Facing criticism from Palestinians, Sen. Barack Obama acknowledged yesterday that the status of Jerusalem will need to be negotiated in future peace talks, amending a statement earlier in the week that the city “must remain undivided.”
Obama’s statement, made during a speech Wednesday to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying group, drew a swift rebuke from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
“This statement is totally rejected,” Abbas told reporters in the West Bank city of Ramallah. “The whole world knows that holy Jerusalem was occupied in 1967, and we will not accept a Palestinian state without having Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state.”
Obama quickly backtracked yesterday in an interview with CNN.
“Well, obviously, it’s going to be up to the parties to negotiate a range of these issues. And Jerusalem will be part of those negotiations,” Obama said when asked whether Palestinians had no future claim to the city.
A short history note by Maynard
In 1948, the British Mandate over Palestine expired, and the State of Israel was proclaimed and recognized by the UN. Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq immediately sent their armies to crush Israel. Against all odds, Israel triumphed, and the war ended with the Armistice of 1949.
The borders of Israel were established by the Armistice, supserseding earlier UN partitions. Egypt and Jordan took control over the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Jerusalem was divided, with Jordan controlling the Old City. The Armistice gave Israelis the right to visit Jewish holy places (such as the Western Wall of the Second Temple); however the Jordanians blocked access, and Jewish holy sites under Arab control were vandalized or desecrated. In the Six-Day War of 1967, Israel took control of the Old City.
Israel is understandably unwilling to cede its most essential territory to the forces that abused it. This fact is universally understood, but it’s not supposed to be said aloud, for fear of upsetting Arabs. So it’s rather surprising to hear any major politician say that Jerusalem would remain undivided, and it was a particularly noteworthy statement for Obama to make, given his controversial background. Now Obama’s comment has been “clarified”.
What happened? The simple hypothesis is that Obama was trying to impress a Jewish group (he was speaking to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee), and perhaps he didn’t realize the baggage associated with his words. Or maybe it’s not quite that simple. I really don’t know.
Correction and update: In my (Maynard’s) original note, I said the capital of Israel moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem after the Six-Day War. Poster “Ripper” pointed out that the capital in fact moved not long after the 1949 armistice. It’s easy to be confused on this point, because so many agencies refuse to reference Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Last year, for example, the BBC apologized for slipping up and calling Jerusalem the capital. Many nations maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv rather than Jerusalem for the same reason.
Back to the original question of why Obama spoke as he did…I noticed this May 13 news item reporting that Obama’s Middle East advisor had said the US should pressure Israel to divide Jerusalem as part of the peace process. This did not sit well in some quarters, and perhaps Obama was trying to undo the damage, or at least obfuscate the issue, by saying the opposite. But this is one of those areas where any definitive statement will offend someone.
Good lord… even Kerry used to wait weeks before making contradictory statements about the same issue.
Obama is backtracking on an almost daily basis.
It’s like Musical Issues…
What do you expect from someone who does not even know how many states are in the Union. And a complete foreign relations imbecile. He will cave to all pressure from those who whose only goal is to destroy both Israel and the US. Remember, Jimmy Carter has endorsed this clown…he will be no friend of Israel, for sure. You can expect him to sell us out. He is a “People Person” who wants to show how good he is to all.
For once in his career Teddy Kennedy was correct when he referred to Osama Obama.
If you look up the word “opportunist” in the dictionary, you’ll find a picture of Barack Obama. Apparently Senator Obama feels that he, like the Apostle Paul, can be all things to all people. Paul was referring to spiritual matters. Obama applies the principle to foreign and domestic policy.
Seemingly, when you think you’re the messiah, you don’t think anyone will notice your duplicity. Then again maybe he’s simply so naive and inexperienced that he just keeps making stupid statements that require correction the next day.
Neither explanation is particularly reassuring.
Maynard
“In the Six-Day War of 1967, Israel took control of the Old City, and moved its capital from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the historical Jewish capital.”
Tel Aviv ceased being Israel’s capital in 1949. THe government moved the capital to West Jerusalem in 1949 after the ceasefire with Transjordan.
When listening to Obama’s speech to the Jewish group, it was obvious he was trying to placate the audience. So many affiliated with Obama’s campaign – not to mention his various personal associations – have vowed to have a disconnect from our current relationship with Israel and have made derogatory remarks about American Jews. Therefore, Jewish people are completely valid in their uncertainty in supporting Barack Obama. Notice how Obama becomes a limp thingy the moment Abbas criticizes his words. Some leadership, eh?
I remember hearing Tammy play a segment of Obama’s speech wherein he claims Iran and Cuba are not threats because they are small countries. They’re harmless and itsy bitsy, so how can the big bad US want to bomb them? Well, Dumbass Barack, why don’t you tell all of Israel’s neighbors to quit picking on little Israel? After all, Israel’s neighbors are mighty big and threatening her. Perhaps you would like to apply your conversational style to stop the threats and violence against Israel from her enormous bullying neighbors. In fact, your conversational approach to curing the world’s ills and softening edges of bullies are probably the same sort of s**t taught in the teacher’s professional development courses I’m forced to attend.
Tammy, you were far too kind in referring to Obama as ‘hugely naive’ on Wednesday’s Laura Ingraham program. The guy is an effing moron and we should be hugely embarrassed to have him as a nominee. I honestly believe the reason so many former Clinton supporters on Crapitol Hill (Kennedys and such) jumped to Obama was because they see how easily manipulated this guy is. He’s young, inexperienced and can be molded and made into whatever the former Dem presidential candidates want him to be: he’ll serve their purpose.
Clinton, on the other hand, cannot be told what to do. She has/had her own agenda and could not be a puppet for Kennedy and Co. But looks like Obama can be a puppet for the aging Dems on the hill and for the tyrants of the world as well.
Hi Maynard
I was glad to set the record straight regarding Israel’s capital. Many people assume it is Tel Aviv because a lot of the anti Israel people hatefully refer to “Tel Aviv” the same way they refer to “Washington” or “London” so people assume that Tel Aviv. is the capital. I am referring to people like the Buchanan crowd of paleocon fascists as well as the Islamofascists throughout the world (as well as the unrepentant Marxists). Unfortunately the US government refuses to register births of American citizens in Jerusalem as being born in Israel but they use “Jerusalem” as if it is an independent nation.
the ultimate irony of what is undoubtedly one of the oldest known cities on earth is that jews have had a historically real, provable ruling political/religious power there since at least the 9th c. bc( confirmed by sources besides the bible) and it was the romans who drove them out while the islamic rulers (638) allowed them back only to be driven out again (euphemism for slaughtered them) by european christian crusaders.
when moslems conquered spain, they left jews in charge of administration. it was the christian royals of a later time who banished all the jews from spain unless they converted and the king of poland who offered sanctuary. and still later in the 20th century we all know what happened to their descendants. saved during the inquisition by fleeing only to be nearly obliterated in a holocaust led by an austrian roman catholic.
and while we all right well know what a jew is and where they have their origins the word palestine is a greek translation of a hebrew word referring to the Philistines as a tribe in Canaan who probably were just that- and not canaanites .remnants of their language indicate an indo-european origin.( political ‘ ‘palestinians’ often refer to their canaanite origins to cement their ‘ right’ to jerusalem and israel. however there is no difference yet found between the jews who occupied ancient judah/ the kingdom of israel and the canaanites- there are many similarities in their cultures.palestina was a term used by the romans to divorce the area under their rule from an association with the jews.).
i sense a theme and it’s no wonder given history that Israel finds itself alone save for america- happily fed to the wolves by moderns who consider themselves progressive humanitarians and peace loving people oh so capable of lovingly embracing hate filled neonazis and terrorists despite their own phony squeals of ‘never again’ and ‘ not learning from history so being condemned to repeat it’. and obama the black jesus shows every sign of understanding absolutely nothing about foreign affairs of the utmost importance to this country, he may be cute and look good in a suit but electing such a black man isn’t going to absolve self righteous honkies from their white guilt nor is it going to keep them safe from being murdered by the very forces they think should take over jerusalem and drive the jews into the sea. never has so much contempt been shown by american and european citizens for a real democracy- and sadly it’s as if i am not referring to israel alone but to the USA herself.