Senior Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq on Friday condemned the last-minute
amendment to the Democrat party platform to reinstate language
recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Writing on his
Facebook page, al-Rishq commented: "Jerusalem was and will always be the
eternal capital of Palestine, and of the Arab and Muslim nations."
The
official said that the return of the Democratic Party platform
reinstating Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is "begging for Jewish
votes."
On Thursday, The Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine (PFLP) also condemned the use of Jerusalem "in competition for the
Jewish vote" between the two main sides of the American election,
according to Ma'an News Agency.
In a statement, the PFLP said the United States sought to "judge and decide other people's rights, belongings and holy sites."
Democrats amended the party platform Wednesday afternoon to include language supporting Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
The last-minute change came in the wake of mounting criticism
from Democratic members of Congress incensed that the 2008 platform's
declaration backing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel had been removed
from the 2012 text. Sources close to the platform drafting process said
Obama personally intervened on reinstating the Jerusalem language. The
whole 2012 platform was originally adopted during the Democratic
convention Tuesday night.
Several Democrats connected to the process said that Obama had personally intervened to have the language reinstated after the controversy, initiated by Republican pro-Israel activists, erupted. Several Jewish groups had also objected to the changes.
But
at least some in the hall were supporters of the Palestinian position
and objected to adding in text declaring that “Jerusalem is and will
remain the capital of Israel. The parties have agreed that Jerusalem is a
matter for final-status negotiations. It should remain an undivided
city accessible to people of all faiths.”
“[The] amendment to
reinsert the language on Jerusalem was a clear case of putting pandering
above responsible politics,” the Arab-American Institute said in statement put out after the amendment
was made, saying it “flies in the face of decades of policy and the
positions of President Obama, international peacemakers, and the
American public at large.”
Meanwhile, Knesset Speaker Reuven
Rivlin said the addition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital to the
Democratic platform does not make up for the party's original
intentions.
"I have no doubt that [US President Barack] Obama put
Jerusalem back in his party's platform out of political and electoral
considerations and because of the sharp criticism from Israel and the
US," Rivlin stated.
Hilary Leila Krieger and Lahav Harkov contributed to this report.