(JTA) — The Republican Party in the latest draft of its platform has reinstated a reference to Jerusalem as Israel’s “undivided” capital and removed a reference to “Palestine.”
The language shared with members of the Platform Committee by the Republican National Committee at an orientation on Sunday night was first reported by CNN.
The 58-page draft platform, which supports a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, could change several times before the start of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 18.
In the party’s 2012 party platform, the word “undivided” was deleted from the platform of four years earlier and the reference to Palestine was added.
The 2012 platform read: “We support Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state with secure, defensible borders; and we envision two democratic states – Israel with Jerusalem as its capital and Palestine – living in peace and security.”
The 2008 platform had declared: “We support Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel and moving the American embassy to that undivided capital of Israel.”
Trump adviser David Friedman last month said the Republicans’ presumptive nominee would consider support of an undivided Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and would not openly oppose Israel’s policy decisions.
In March, Trump announced his support for relocating the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem during his address to the AIPAC policy conference.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
