Obama open to divided Jerusalem

Sen. Barack Obama speaking to reporters in Sderot, Israel, a town near the Gaza border targeted by Palestinian rockets (Image from Haaretz TV)

RAMALLAH, West Bank – In a meeting here today, Sen. Barack Obama assured the Palestinians he supports a "negotiated settlement" that may grant the Palestinian Authority control over sections of Jerusalem, a senior PA official who took part in the meeting told WND.

"He assured us there was a misunderstanding when he said in [June] he supports the Israelis' rights to hold on to Jerusalem. He told us he corrected this right away and that he supports a negotiated settlement that will give the Palestinians territory," said the PA official.

The official, who was present when Obama met with PA President Mahmoud Abbas today, was referring to a speech Obama delivered in June to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in which he stated if he is elected president, "Jerusalem would remain the capital of Israel and it must remain undivided."

Immediately following the speech, Obama reversed himself during a CNN appearance, explaining he meant Jerusalem shouldn't be physically divided with a partition.

"Well, obviously, it's going to be up to the parties to negotiate a range of these issues. And Jerusalem will be part of those negotiations," he said in response to a question about whether Palestinians have a legitimate claim to the city.

Obama said "as a practical matter, it would be very difficult to execute" a division of the city. "And I think that it is smart for us to, to work through a system in which everybody has access to the extraordinary religious sites in Old Jerusalem but that Israel has a legitimate claim on that city."

According to the senior PA official speaking to WND, Obama today expressed to Abbas his "full understanding" regarding halting Israel's "settlement activities" – a reference to Israeli construction in the West Bank.

The presidential candidate told Abbas he would work to ensure more "freedom of movement" for Palestinians in the West Bank, the senior official said. Freedom of movement usually refers to Israel removing anti-terror roadblocks and checkpoints that have been directly credited with stopping suicide bombers from entering central Israel. Palestinians complain the barriers impede their mobility.

The Palestinian official speaking to WND also said Obama criticized "Israeli measures that create facts on the ground that may affect a future Palestinian state."

The statement was a clear reference to Israeli construction in the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem neighborhoods the Palestinians claim for a future state.

Obama spent much of the day trying to allay doubts about his support for Israel, donning a Jewish skullcap at Israel's Holocaust memorial, touring the rocket-besieged town of Sderot and declaring his intent to preserve America's close ties with Israel during a meeting at President Shimon Peres' official residence.

"I'm here on this trip to reaffirm the special relationship between Israel and the United States and my abiding commitment to Israel's security and my hope that I can serve as an effective partner, whether as a U.S. senator or as president," Obama said.

In Ramallah, he told Abbas "he will be a constructive partner in the peace process" and would not "waste a minute" if elected.

At the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, he laid a wreath and lit a memorial flame, saying, "Despite this record of monumental tragedy, this ultimately is a place of hope."

Obama also met with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and parliamentary opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu.

Obama arrived in Israel last night from Jordan and plans to leave for Germany tomorrow.

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