Obama breaks with Abbas at AIPAC

by: Karl Blumenthal

Fri Jun 06, 2008 at 13:45

Abbas sees east Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state, but hardliners have been pressuring Prime Minister Olmert and Secretary Rice for months to take the city limits off the table.  Outlining his vision of Middle East policy to the pro-Israel lobby, Obama aligned himself with the more extreme elements (emphasis mine):

The Palestinians need a state that is contiguous and cohesive, and that allows them to prosper - but any agreement with the Palestinian people must preserve Israel's identity as a Jewish state, with secure, recognized and defensible borders. Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided.

Abbas reacted with frustration.  At its lowest point in months, the energy for an "undivided Jerusalem" may have been renewed by a powerful endorsement.

Details below the fold...