Israel Matzav

Santorum gets it on Jerusalem

Rick Santorum writes an article in the New York Daily News to remind us all that (apparently ) neither President Obama nor Mitt Romney is willing to act on the notion that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Obama, as we saw last week, cannot even countenance Israel having property rights in 'west' Jerusalem.

Unfortunately, I cannot say that my opponent for the Republican Presidential nomination has a different position from that of the President. He has not expressed his opinion about the Obama administration’s position on Jerusalem.

When asked about recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moving our embassy there, Mitt Romney is undecided, and said he would consult with the government of Israel. He has been running for President for six years, and I think that is long enough for him to get up to speed on foreign policy and make a decision on this crucial issue.

There is no daylight between my position and the government of Israel’s on the issue of Jerusalem. I voted for the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995, I support recognizing a united Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and I will move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem in compliance with that act.

It is actually not well known that the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 made it U.S. law to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and that the waiver provision of the act only applied to moving the embassy to Jerusalem. A letter to President Bill Clinton — signed by 84 U.S. senators, including me — articulated this point.

We know the Obama administration is not complying with U.S. law. We do not know what a potential Romney administration would do. A Santorum administration would mean that next year, there will be a Passover Seder at the new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem — and when Jews say, “Next Year in Jerusalem,” that will actually be the case for the U.S. Embassy.

With Romney increasingly looking like the nominee (although I would much rather see Santorum as President), it's really important that he be pressed on this point. Does Romney get it?

Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Campaign 2012, Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, Mitt Romney, RIck Santorum

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:53 PM