Posted by
J-GOP on Wednesday, June 18, 2008 4:11:50 PM
Reuters reported yesterday that Sen. Barack Obama's Middle East Advisor, Amb. Daniel Kurtzer, said Obama misused the word "undivided" regarding Jerusalem during the presumptive Democratic nominee's June 4 AIPAC speech. Kurtzer goes on to argue that Obama is not "naïve" on foreign policy.
"Obama advisors might call it a 'misuse,' but in reality, it's nothing more than a flip-flop. Either way, the stakes for Israel are too high for America's next commander-in-chief to lack basic knowledge of the Middle East," said Republican Jewish Coalition Executive Director Matt Brooks. "Interestingly, Ambassador Kurtzer's comments ignore the extensive staff work and policy vetting that went into writing the speech. Did Ambassador Kurtzer not see a copy of the speech prior to its being given?"
During his speech to AIPAC, Obama said: "Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided." Twenty-four hours later, following protests from Palestinian and Hamas government officials, Obama reversed his statement telling CNN: "Obviously, it's going to be up to the parties to negotiate a range of these issues. And Jerusalem will be a part of these negotiations."
Reuters reported: "Democrat Barack Obama misused a 'code word' in Middle East politics when he said Jerusalem should be Israel's 'undivided' capital but that does not mean he is naive on foreign policy, [Kurtzer] said on Tuesday."
"By misunderstanding the significance of an 'undivided' Jerusalem, and by not anticipating the implications of a 24-hour position flip-flop, Senator Obama once again demonstrated that he is not ready for prime time. His naïvete about the Middle East is extremely troubling," said Brooks. "These are not the qualities the Jewish community is looking for in America's next commander-in-chief."