In an accurate demonstration of the Obama administration’s continually deteriorating stance regarding the borders of the State of Israel, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney evaded a question last Thursday on which city the U.S. considers to be the capital of the Jewish state. Refusing to disclose whether the U.S. officially believes Jerusalem or Tel Aviv to be the capital of Israel, a distraught Carney simply responded to the question by saying, “Our position hasn’t changed.” Since then, the Emergency Committee for Israel (ECI) Washington-based public advocacy group put together a short video tracking the Obama administration’s fickle stance with regard to the issue. During his election campaign in 2008, Obama reassured Jewish constituents that Jerusalem will remain the “undivided” capital of Israel. “Let me be clear, Israel’s security is sacrosanct. It is non-negotiable,” Obama said at the time. “Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided.” Obama soon retracted his remarks, saying that the word undivided “was poorly chosen.” Since then, the administration’s position on the issue has only weakened and waned. At a press briefing in March, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland responded to a similar question by simply saying, “Jerusalem is a permanent-status issue. It’s got to be resolved through negotiations.” “Our policy with regard to Jerusalem is that it has to be solved through negotiations. That’s all I have to say on this issue,” Nuland said, refusing to elaborate.
