Israel

RJC Releases Ad on DNC Jerusalem/Israel debacle

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From the Republican Jewish Coalition:

RJC Releases Ad, Blasts Democrats for Stripping Jerusalem and Pro-Israel Support from Platform

Going back to 1972*, Democratic Platform Affirmed Jerusalem as Capital of Israel

Washington, D.C. (September 5, 2012) — The Republican Jewish Coalition announced today the release of a print ad asking, “What is Missing from Obama’s 2012 Democratic Platform?” The ad shows that several pro-Israel provisions in the 2008 Democratic platform are missing from the 2012 document.

The ad will run as a full page in Thursday’s Charlotte Observer and then in Jewish papers next week in Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Nevada.

This year, Democrats stripped out language that appeared in their 2008 platform saying that Jerusalem “is and will remain the capital of Israel” and language saying the issue of Palestinian refugees should be resolved by their settlement in a Palestinian state, not in Israel. The Democrats also removed language from 2008 calling for the isolation of Hamas and weakened the provision about ensuring that Israel retains a qualitative edge for self defense. The platform also stripped out language, which had previously been included, calling Israel “our strongest ally in the region.”

RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks said:

This will run as a full-page ad in the Charlotte Observer on Thursday, so that we can send a special message to Pres. Obama and the Democratic Party during the Democratic National Convention. Then it will run in Jewish newspapers in Florida, Ohio, Nevada, and Pennsylvania next week.

The changes to the Democrat Party platform raise serious questions about Pres. Obama’s and the party’s commitment to Israel. It is clear from the platform that the Democrats are backing way from Israel at a critical time. This is yet another reason why Jewish support for Democrats continues to erode.

Click on the image below to see the full-size pdf of the ad.

N-RJC090412_DNC-Platform-Ad-rev

Obama’s support for God and Israel—now you see it, now you don’t, now you . . .

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I guess it depends on the audience, and more importantly their vote. Hence, the incredibly fluid changing DNC platform, and guess what, this is Obama’s convention, and he did build it.

As if he wasn’t in enough trouble with Jewish voters:

From the Tanakh, Psalm 122:

I rejoiced when they said to me,
“We are going to the House of the Lord.”
Our feet stood inside your gates, O Jerusalem,
Jerusalem built up, a city knit together,
to which tribes would make pilgrimage,
the tribes of the Lord,
—as was enjoined upon Israel—
to praise the name of the Lord.
There the thrones of judgement stood,
thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the well-being of Jerusalem;
“May those who love you be at peace.
“May there be well-being within your ramparts,
peace in your citadels.”
For the sake of my kin and friends,
I pray for your well-being;
for the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I seek your good.

You cannot separate the Jewish people from Jerusalem. Perhaps he needs new advisors:

Response to the DNC vote by The Republican Jewish Coalition:

Democratic Convention Proceedings Expose Rank and File Split on Israel

Jerusalem Fight Underscores the “Israel Gap”
in this Election

Washington, D.C. (September 5, 2012) — The Republican Jewish Coalition notes with grave concern that delegates to the Democratic National Convention voiced significant opposition to efforts to amend the party platform so as to reinstate pro-Israel language from previous years.

Rank and file Democrats expressed strong opposition to a resolution to reinstate pro-Israel language that had been removed from the 2012 platform, forcing convention chairman Antonio Villaraigosa to call the voice vote three times. Each time the “No’s” were noticeably stronger; in fact, CNN reporter Dana Bush was quoted as saying, “It seemed pretty to clear to me that the ‘No’s’ had it.” (1)

There were loud boos from the convention floor when the chairman overruled the delegates and announced that the resolution passed.

See video of the vote and response here.

RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks said, “This is a very sad day. To hear delegates on the floor of the Democratic convention strongly voice their opposition to recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, then boo when the chairman passes the resolution to adopt that language, is a shock.

Brooks continued, “This unfortunate incident highlights the split among rank and file Democrats when it comes to the critical issue of Israel, something we’ve seen for some time. Gallup polling has shown that Republicans have been consistently more likely to support Israel than Democrats for over a decade. (2) It is painful to see that demonstrated so clearly in this national forum.”

Notes:

(1) https://twitter.com/RalstonFlash/status/243459182169309184

(2) According to a Gallup poll released on March 2, 2012, “Republicans continue to be far more likely than independents or Democrats to sympathize with the Israelis.” In that poll, Republican support for Israel was 78 percent while Democrat support was at 53 percent, a 25-point difference. The graph at the link shows the deep split in Republican/Democrat support for Israel over time.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/153092/americans-continue-tilt-pro-israel.aspx

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This statement appears on the RJC web site.

The RJC is the national grassroots organization of Jewish Republicans. Learn more at our web site, www.RJCHQ.org.