A foreign policy matter in the Democratic Platform that would have otherwise been a political formality became fodder for media attention when reference to Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was omitted from the platform 2012 Democratic National Convention.
In a controversial mulligan, the chair of the convention held a voice vote that was repeated three times before he declared a 2/3 majority necessary to reintroduce the language into the party platform, a judgment call that was disputed by attendees.
When did Jerusalem idea come from anyhow?
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My colleague and JTA political blogger Daniel Treiman pointed out from the convention at Charlotte that this was an interesting omission, considering that the Democratic Party was the first to adopt this language 40 years ago:
Every Democratic platform, with one exception, going back all the way to 1972 had included language affirming Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. (The only exception was in 1988, a year when the section on Israel was notably brief, and when the Middle East was the subject of an intra-party fight, with supporters of Jesse Jackson pushing unsuccessfully for the platform to call for a Palestinian state.
Back in 1972, Jerusalem-as-capital language was originally tied to the issue of relocating the U.S. embassy. While Jewish groups on both sides of the aisle expressed interest in such a move, the Democratic party struck first by approving such language in its platform:
June 26, 1972 (JTA) — Platform writers for the Democratic party’s forthcoming presidential nominating convention recommended here today that the United States recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The 15-member Democratic platform subcommittee made the recommendation in its draft of the proposed platform after working through most of the night. It also recommended that the United States "be unequivocally committed to support Israel’s right to exist within secure and defensible boundaries" and that the US government "mobilize world opinion" on behalf of Soviet Jews.
While Alabama Governor George C. Wallace and N.Y. representative Shirley Chisholm separately voiced reservations with the party’s Middle East foreign policy plank, it was ultimately adopted as follows:
Middle East.—The United States must be unequivocally committed to support of Israel’s right to exist within secure and defensible boundaries. Progress toward a negotiated political settlement in the Middle East will permit Israel and her Arab neighbors to live at peace with each other, and to turn their energies to internal development. It will also free the world from the threat of the explosion of Mid-East tensions into world war. In working toward a settlement, our continuing pledge to the security and freedom of Israel must be both clear and consistent.
The next Democratic Administration should: Make and carry out a firm, long-term public commitment to provide Israel with aircraft and other military equipment in the quantity and sophistication she needs to preserve her deterrent strength in the face of Soviet arsenaling of Arab threats of renewed war;
Seek to bring the parties into direct negotiations toward a permanent political solution based on the necessity of agreement on secure and defensible national boundaries;
Maintain a political commitment and a military force in Europe and at sea in the Mediterranean ample to deter the Soviet Union from putting unbearable pressure on Israel.
Recognize and support the established status of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, with free access to all its holy places provided to all faiths. As a symbol of this stand, the U.S. Embassy should be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem; and
Recognize the responsibility of the world community for a just solution to the problems of the Arab and Jewish refugees.
The Republican platform of 1972 omitted reference to Jerusalem. At the time, Vice-President Spiro Agnew said that moving the embassy to Jerusalem would be "very counter-productive" and would "have to lead to much misunderstanding among the parties to the truce" in the Middle East.
JTA’s other venerated politico in Charlotte, Ron Kampeas, referred to the missing text as "boilerplate language." In response to the omission, Rep. Gary Wexler — the only official willing to speak on the record about the platform’s omission — suggested that incumbents may have a harder time with the wording of policy planks:
Wexler, who insisted that he did not have inside information beyond the broad campaign directive to focus on security, speculated that the omission reflected the difference between a nonincumbent candidate, who has greater flexibility, and a president who has established policies.
“Jerusalem is a final-status issue,” said Wexler, who delivered a fiery pro-Israel speech Tuesday during prime time. “There’s nothing about settlements or ‘67 lines or borders in here.”
The challenge of incumbency appeared to be the case with Jimmy Carter, the first president to publicly refer to Jerusalem as "the capital of Israel" in 1978. Prior to the 1980 convention, Carter’s team toyed with the language of his 1976 platform:
The plank, as now written and approved by Carter’s supporters and opposed by the Kennedy forces, reads: "As stated in the 1976 platform, the Democratic Party recognizes and supports ‘the established status of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, with free access to all its holy places provided to all faiths. As a symbol of this stand, the U.S. Embassy should be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.’ At the same time it is recognized that the Democratic Administration has special responsibilities resulting from its deep engagement in the delicate process of promoting a wider peace for Israel."
While perhaps not as noticeable as an omission, the latest Republican Party platform also features a departure this year from its recent Jerusalem policy:
The 2012 GOP platform states that "we envision two democratic states – Israel with Jerusalem as its capital and Palestine – living in peace and security."
The 2012 GOP platform states that "we envision two democratic states – Israel with Jerusalem as its capital and Palestine – living in peace and security."
