In his AIPAC speech earlier this month Barack Obama raised some eyebrows when he said that he thought Jerusalem “must remain undivided.” Even the most pro-Israel presidents in recent decades have never used that term (though a Republican Congress did in 1995), and the U.S. has said the status of the city should be decided by negotiation between Israel and the Palestinians. Some observers saw Obama’s language as an attempt to overcompensate for his past views on the Arab-Israeli conflict or for some perceived weakness with Jewish voters. Others saw it as a genuine signal, for good or ill.
But now Obama’s advisor on Arab-Israeli issues, former ambassador Daniel Kurtzer, clears it all up for us: Obama said what he said because he has absolutely no idea what he’s talking about.
The good signs just keep piling up. Jennifer Rubin has more thoughts at Contentions.