Democrats Remove Recognition Of Jerusalem As Capital Of Israel And More: Deeply Troubling Changes In 2012 DNC Party Platform Part Of A Disturbing Continuing Pattern

DNC Platform 2008: "Jerusalem is and will remain the capital of Israel." 

DNC Platform 2012: No mention of Jerusalem, with the naming of the capital intentionally taken out, leaving pro-Israel party functionaries at the convention fuming. "

"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," Mitt Romney wrote in response, adding that, as "president, I will restore our relationship with Israel and stand shoulder to shoulder with our close ally." 

The 2012 platform also omits a reference to Israel as America's "strongest ally in the region," language present in the platform four years ago.  Further, while in 2004 and 2008 the Democratic Party platform called for Palestinian refugees to be settled in a future Palestinian state, and explicitly not in Israel,  the 2012 platform does not mention the issue. Similarly, the 2012 platform doesn’t take a stand on dealing with the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, which controls the Gaza strip, yet in 2008 the platform said explicitly that the United States "should continue to isolate Hamas."

When Jerusalem is specifically removed from the platform, with news agencies reporting that Democratic functionaries that are pro-Israel were fuming (which is to say this was over the pro-Israel objections), it is part of a disturbing pattern and worthy of condemnation from Jewish Democrats that should and must call for their party to remain as pro-Israel as it has in the past. Where are the Jewish Democrat members of Congress distancing themselves from this platform change, even if not outright condemning it? Silent, or circling the wagons. If you support Israel I cannot see how you would find such a blatant and open anti-Israel change to the platform worthy of a defense. 

It is in the interest of Israel not to take partisan sides in a U.S. election. That includes any Israeli government official, in whose interest it is to not be seen as endorsing one candidate over the other so as to maintain bipartisan support for Israel. And Israel has done so, going so far as to give high praise at times to President Obama.  That being said, it is a well known open secret that there is no love lost between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Obama. With Netanyahu reported by Israel's leading newspaper to have been reaming out the current U.S. Ambassador to Israel in a meeting just last week (reportedly saying that "instead of effectively pressuring Iran, Obama and his people are pressuring us not to attack the nuclear facilities”), and Obama caught on a hot mic taking an idiotic swipe at Netanyahu with the French President. With Netanyahu's first meeting with Obama ending by him being ushered out the side door by a President deliberately ignoring him. With just last week it being reported by that bastion of right wing concoctions known as Time Magazine that joint exercises that were to involve the U.S. are being greatly scaled down, reductions that "are striking" and led a "senior Israeli military official" to declare, "Basically what the Americans are saying is, ‘We don’t trust you.'" With on repeated occasions the Obama administration refusing to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel (on video in their press rooms), culminating in that being reflected in the party's own platform this year. This being preceded with unprecedented tension with Israel over building by Israel in East Jerusalem, actual policy that manifested itself in line with and before this platform change. This flap over East Jerusalem itself too happened only after an unprecedented Israeli 10 month settlement freeze.  This action by Israel got her no credit, was quickly forgotten, taken for granted, and immediately followed by that torrent of criticism over Jerusalem building.  With increased tension between the Israeli and American governments on Iran being widely reported. With Obama making a stupid statement about the so-called "1967 borders" in a speech to AIPAC just days before meeting with Netanyahu, with the Israeli Prime Minister then literally dressing down the President of the United States in front of the cameras in the oval office on Israel's security needs. With the Simon Wiesenthal Center (not a "Republican, rightist" organization) very recently condemning the Obama administration for excluding Israel from Global Counter-terror summits. With Obama comparing Palestinian suffering to the Holocaust in his Cairo speech. And on and on and on, because this is only off of the top of my head. 

(Not to mention things from the last campaign like the fact that the L.A. Times all these years later still has a video of Barack Obama with anti-Israel Rashid Khalidi that it has refused to release and that Obama sat in the Church of rabid anti-Israel Jew-hater Jeremiah Wright for 20 years). 

One can pretend there are no signs of unprecedented tension and deterioration. As a supporter of Israel, I do not. All supporters of Israel must find the fact that after four years of President Obama this year’s Democratic Party platform is not as pro-Israel as in years past to be very deeply troubling.  I see this following a pattern. And it's as good a reason as any not to vote for Barack Obama. Tweet