Report: Obama "Corrected" Statement On Undivided Jerusalem

UPDATED BELOW

Barack Obama caused a stir in June when he said at AIPAC that Jerusalem should not be divided. He quickly clarified the remark in response to Palestinian anger.

Today the candidate met with the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. Afterward, a reporter says the Palestinian National Authority was conciliatory:

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told reporters at the end of the meeting that Obama has assured President Abbas that he will get involved in the Mideast conflict quickly, if elected U.S. president.

...

"President Abbas welcomes this important visit and considers it evidence of the importance of the Palestinian issue in American foreign policy," he said, adding "Obama told Abbas he would not waste a minute if elected."

...

Obama caused outrage among the Palestinians in early June when he told a major US pro-Israel lobbying group that Jerusalem must remain the "undivided" capital of Jerusalem.

The international community including the U.S. does not recognize the city as the eternal capital of the Jewish state. Israel claims that Arab east Jerusalem, which was annexed in the 1967, is part of the undivided city.

Obama however, corrected his statements and said that the future of the city can be resolved through peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. The Palestinians want the eastern part of the city as the capital of their state.

However, Obama's campaign says the candidate didn't discuss Jerusalem at all.

Comments

[dejtemper]

Terrorism is wrong no matter who it is that is using it. I have a problem with how these things get covered. We see many instances of Palestinians using terror tactics on Israeli citizens, and again I say this goes beyond wrong. We do not see what happens to average Palestinian citizens, and that bothers me. There are average people being taken, returned two or three days later, bloodied and beaten, by Israeli soldiers. Average Palestinian people are routinely denied their medication. The poverty level goes way beyond what we see in the US, and this is not all caused by the Palestinian government. Why can't the Palestinian people be given the same coverage?

[japobere]

And what has John McCain done to clarify his running 132,764 gaffes?

[1099]

Way to get back on that fence and not take a stand! Keep telling everybody what they want to hear!

Go President Obama!

[meleon]

I'm glad he did this because I was concerned that it would become fodder for the McCain camp come debate time. If those who support Obama like myself wonder sometimes why there's nothing suspiciously coming from McCain about things Obama has said etc, it's in my opinion that they're storing them up like squirrels hoping to pull them out in the debates. Funny thing about squirrels is that, "should they even remember were they buried the their find, chances are good a better, faster, smarter animal has already found the treasure requiring the squirrel to start all over again.."

[PATina]

You mean he "refined" his statement, right?.... hahahahaha­hahahahaha­ha

[JohnCochtosten]

"Jerusalem must remain the undivided capital of Jerusalem"

Methinks this is a typo.

[BigLib]

Flip, flop.

Flip, flop.

"You misunderstood me."

"You misquoted me."

"That's not the statement I recognize.­"

Flip, flop.

Flip, flop.

[ibsteve2u]

Can of worms.

[SpoxLogic]

True. But what would you do if you were the POTUS? Ignore it and hope it goes away? This is the reason why being a good leader of a country is soo hard and the reason I don't get overly upset when a decision counter to what I want is made.

[midknightryder13]

True, but I honestly don't think we can EVER expect to see any kind of lasting peace there until this issue is DEALT with.