ZOA: Obama policy on eastern Jerusalem is ‘racist’

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"The Zionist Organization of America is blasting President Obama for telling Israel to not build 20 apartments in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of eastern Jerusalem, calling the policy "racist."

"The ZOA is appalled that the Obama administration is backing Palestinian demands for preventing Jews from building in and moving to eastern Jerusalem," said ZOA president Morton Klein in a statement. "We are also concerned at the blatant inconsistency of the Obama Administration’s approach. Last year, when campaigning for the presidency, Barack Obama called for Jerusalem to remain the undivided capital of Israel. The next day, he retracted that statement, but then insisted that the issue of Jerusalem was one for final status talks between Israel and the PA. Now, however, he is not even adhering to that watered-down position: instead, he is weighing in on the matter on behalf of the racist Palestinian demand that Jews be barred from moving into eastern Jerusalem, a territory the PA claims for itself and wishes to see part of a judenrein Palestinian state."

Klein said "racist" was the most appropriate way to describe the policy. "If you exclude people from moving into an area that Israel has annexed, and you're only saying that because they're Jews, don't see any other term" to use, he told JTA."

more

[marmar]

1. Pure projection.....

:eyes:

[bemildred]

2. Boy, you just don't know where to start with this one. nt

[madrchsod]

3. nothing like biting the hands that feed them...

i know there are people in israel and palestine who wish to live in peace and harmony with each other. it is a shame that the peoples wishes are ignored by their leaders.

calling obama`s policy "racist" is disgusting

[GeorgeGist]

4. Israel is a country. Judaism is a religion.

Racism is a choice.

[RaleighNCDUer]

5. That would be "moving into an area Israel ILLEGALLY annexed".

Like the entire West Bank, East Jerusalem is a part of the occupied territories and Israel has NO rights to settle there. It is conquered territory, and permanent settlements have been forbidden by the UN.

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

7. Anyone know where he gets the thing about Obama calling for undivided Jerusalem?

It's not something I've heard attributed to him before, certainly - is Klein simply making it up, or what?

[Scurrilous]

8. Transcript: Obama's Speech at AIPAC

"Let me be clear. Israel's security is sacrosanct. It is non-negotiable. The Palestinians need a state that is contiguous and cohesive, and that allows them to prosper — but any agreement with the Palestinian people must preserve Israel's identity as a Jewish state, with secure, recognized and defensible borders. Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided."

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91150432


Obama clarifies united J'lem comment

<snip>

"Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama did not rule out Palestinian sovereignty over parts of Jerusalem when he called for Israel's capital to remain "undivided," his campaign told The Jerusalem Post Thursday.

"Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided," Obama declared Wednesday, to rousing applause from the 7,000-plus attendees at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee policy conference.

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."

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1212659672984&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[oberliner]

9. Obama: "Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided."

That is a quote from his speech to AIPAC on June 4, 2008.

Transcript:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91150432

[shira]

10. also, US policy is that Jerusalem remain undivided

Check out The Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995. It recognizes Jerusalem as "a united city administered by Israel" and declares "Jerusalem must remain an undivided city."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_Embassy_Act

Bill Clinton's Parameters of 2000:
"Jerusalem should be an open and undivided city, with assured freedom of access and worship for all."

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/clintplan.html

[oberliner]

11. I've always thought that ultimately Jerusalem would continue to be the sticking point

The Israelis will not accept a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital and the Palestinians will not accept a Palestinian state without Jerusalem as its capital.

In every other part of this dispute it seems that both sides have been willing to make compromises, but not when it comes to Jerusalem.

I know that Bill Clinton supposedly sat down with a map and went block by block trying to come up with an arrangement to divide the city that both sides could accept, but, in the end, his efforts were fruitless.

I am curious to see what path Obama eventually takes in his efforts to help broker an agreement and how much attention he will pay to this particular situation with everything else on his agenda.

[azurnoir]

12. Are you in disagreement with the Geneva Initiative

Article 6 - Jerusalem: Israel and Palestine shall have their mutually recognized capitals in areas of Jerusalem under their respective sovereignty.

* Israel will receive sovereignty over the "Wailing" Wall, the Jewish Quarter of the Old City, and Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, including Givat Ze'ev, Ma'aleh Adumim, and the original historically Jewish area of Gush Etzion. Israel shall administer the Tower of David, the Western Wall tunnel, and the Jewish Cemetery on the Mount of Olives.

* Palestine will receive sovereignty over al-Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount (the "Compound"), the Muslim, Christian, and Armenian Quarters of the Old City, and the Arab neighborhoods of East Jerusalem.

* An International Group, including members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, will be established to monitor, verify, and assist in the implementation of the terms of the agreement regarding the Compound. The Compound will be open to people of all faiths, with the Multinational Force ensuring freedom of access to the site. In view of the sanctity of the Compound, and in light of the unique religious and cultural significance of the site to the Jewish people, there shall be no digging, excavation, or construction on the Compound, unless approved by the two Parties.


http://www.chicagopeacenow.org/Geneva-Summary.html

or is it that perhaps one side or the other will no longer honor a past agreement?the initiative had both Israeli and Palestinian signatories

[oberliner]

13. I love the Geneva Initiative

Spread the word and maybe it will gain some traction!

[azurnoir]

18. OMG we agree and its not even full moon

GI is not perfect by any means it seems better than most other proposals

[shira]

14. sounds good to me - so why freeze building in areas the Geneva Initiative cedes to Israel?

[azurnoir]

15. Are you claiming the Sherperd Hotel is being built in

one of the specified area's

[shira]

16. no, but the current "total freeze" includes areas ceded to Israel in the Geneva Initiative

ETA:
as far as I know, there is to be no construction whatsoever even in the Jewish quarter of the old city - do you think that's reasonable?

[azurnoir]

17. Seeing as how the Geneva Intiative has not yet been

implemented or any peace plan for that matter then yes, it could help persuade parties to come to the table. Once a solid plan is in place Israel can build away in its area

[Violet_Crumble]

20. I was about to ask when the Geneva Initiative became a binding agreement...

...because that's when any territory would be ceded and the settlers from Ariel would be sent packing back to Israel (that's Article 4 for those who think things have been ceded already)...

[shira]

21. it would appear then that final borders need to be negotiated and agreed to first

[Violet_Crumble]

19. Here's my solution for Jerusalem....

The Israeli capital (which is what's recognised by all but one or two other countries as its capital already) becomes Tel Aviv. The Palestinian capital becomes Ramallah. Until people can learn to share Jerusalem, it should be made an international type of city, where neither Israel or Palestine has guardianship or sovereignty over it....

Also, just something for people to remember is when the Israeli govt and the ZOA talk about Jerusalem, they're talking about the vastly expanded Jerusalem that stretches well into the West Bank, not the city as it was in 1967...

When it comes to the path Obama takes, I had little faith he'd be much different than Bushco when it came to the I/P conflict, but he's actually looking very much like he is approaching things from a balanced perspective and not letting Israel get away with wrongdoing just because they're allies of the US. Hopefully the Obama administration will continue along this path....

[oberliner]

22. One point about Jerusalem pre-1967

I think that it is important to recognize that before East Jerusalem became occupied by Jordan in the 1948 war there were parts of the city that had been populated by Jewish people for many generations. You will note that the "Jewish Quarter" and "Western Wall" are both in the part of Jerusalem that was occupied by Jordan from 1948-1967.

The Jewish people who had lived in the area were expelled by Jordan and the Jewish holy sites were made off-limits to Jews by the Jordanian government.

Thus, I would argue that an equitable solution to the Jerusalem question must take this into account.

[henank]

23. One small correction

The Jewish holy sites were not just made "off-limits to Jews". All 58 synagogues in the Old City were totally destroyed, and the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives was badly damaged, the headstones being used for paving stones and even for latrines. Any access at all to the Western Wall was completely forbidden to Jews.

So much for "internationalizing" Jerusalem, which was the original plan IIRC...

[Violet_Crumble]

27. So what? That's got nothing to do with the solution I suggested for Jerusalem...

Why bring in niggly little one-sided things like that? I'm sure Palestinians lived in West Jerusalem before 1948, but I don't see why bringing any of that into it achieves anything...

[Jim Sagle]

24. ZOA speaks truth to power.

[IndianaGreen]

25. ZOA is a racist and fascist organization

ZOA should be registered as agent of a foreign government.

[Jim Sagle]

26. Pat Pukecannon, is that you?

[Violet_Crumble]

28. Yep, Obama's such a racist...not!! ZOA and their fans are the actual racists n/t