Israel Matzav

Obama finds room for Jerusalem under the bus

It's sure getting crowded under Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Hussein Obama's bus. On Thursday, my entire city of Jerusalem joined his white grandmother and Jeremiah Wright's Trinity Church under there.

On Wednesday, Obama told AIPAC that Jerusalem must remain 'undivided' and 'the capital of Israel.' But if you look at the videotape and at how he said it, you see that Obama never really meant to say that the entire undivided city of Jerusalem should remain Israel's capital. Let's go to the videotape of that speech for a minute and watch the nuanced way in which Obama says that Jerusalem should remain Israel's capital. Anyone else get the feeling that Obama got excited and improvised something that wasn't in the prepared text?



But what he did say was enough to infuriate his 'Palestinian' supporters. Let's go to another videotape - a shorter clip of Obama followed by reactions (sorry, in Arabic with Hebrew translation) from 'moderate' 'Palestinian' President Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen and from Hamas 'spokesman' Sami Abu-Zuhri. Those of you who speak Hebrew will note that what Abu Mazen and Abu Zuhri are upset about is not Jerusalem, but the fact that Obama said that Israel should be a Jewish state living within secure borders. Let's go to the videotape.



Thursday night, Obama's campaign 'clarified' his remarks (Hat Tip: Little Green Footballs).

But a campaign adviser clarified Thursday that Obama believes "Jerusalem is a final status issue, which means it has to be negotiated between the two parties" as part of "an agreement that they both can live with."

"Two principles should apply to any outcome," which the adviser gave as: "Jerusalem remains Israel's capital and it's not going to be divided by barbed wire and checkpoints as it was in 1948-1967."

He refused, however, to rule out other configurations, such as the city also serving as the capital of a Palestinian state or Palestinian sovereignty over Arab neighborhoods.

"Beyond those principles, all other aspects are for the two parties to agree at final status negotiations," the Obama adviser said.

Well wouldn't that be just brilliant: Give the 'Palestinians' control over 'east' Jerusalem and then leave the city wide open so that the terrorists with their suicide bombs strapped to them can walk right in. Forgive me for saying this, but if the Israeli security forces aren't going to be responsible for security in the entire city, then I would rather have the barbed wire and checkpoints than the suicide bombers.

Obama's 'clarification' was attacked by the Orthodox Union and the Zionist Organization of America, but was defended by his court Jew, Congressman Robert Wexler (D-Fla).

"Everyone knows that Jerusalem is a final status issue. That is not a secret to anyone. Senator Obama says emphatically that should the Israelis and the Palestinians negotiate [an agreement], he will respect their conclusions and that he will not dictate a particular resolution."

Obama understands precisely zero of the issues involved here. Go back to that first video I posted and note this:

The Palestinians need a state that is contiguous and cohesive, and that allows them to prosper.

Look at a map. How can a 'state' that includes the 'West Bank' and Gaza be 'contiguous and cohesive?' For that matter, how can a state that includes Judea and Samaria be 'contiguous and cohesive' unless we go back to the 1967 borders? How can a 'state' with no port prosper? The whole idea is ridiculous. But Obama is willing to say anything to get elected, he is willing to be everything to everyone in a bid to be elected and to throw out empty platitudes like "change we can believe in." Please.

David Hazony had already called what would happen to Obama's promises about Jerusalem before last night's about face (I would have written the same thing had I found time yesterday):

I remember when I was a kid, I used to get excited every time a presidential candidate promised to recognize Jerusalem officially as the capital of Israel by moving the U.S. embassy there from Tel Aviv. But then my dad would say, “They always promise that. They never, ever do it.” Decades later, they still haven’t done it, and I’ve concluded that the best thing is to ignore all campaign promises about Jerusalem, even when they are not contradicted by the candidate’s closest advisers–and all the more so when they are.

But at least maybe now he'll get his Hamas endorsement back (Hat Tip: Memeorandum).

By the way, read between the lines of his purported defense of Israel against Iran - also an item discussed in the AIPAC speech. He 'won't let Iran get nuclear weapons' but not one specific word about how he will go about preventing that from happening. Because he has no plans. Just empty platitudes. And of course, ever the pacifist, the one thing he will never, never do under any circumstances is the one thing that might be effective: attack Iran. More on Obama's AIPAC-inspired 'conversion' (really non-conversion) on Iran from Pamela.

For more comments on Obama's quick reversals see Soccer Dad.

Barack Hussein Obama is Bill Clinton's kind of guy. He speaks with a forked tongue so that he can be all things to all people.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:33 AM