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July 23, 2004/Av 5 5764, Vol. 56, No. 44
Democratic platform eyes Israel
MATTHEW E. BERGER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
WASHINGTON - The Democratic Party wants to send the right message to the American Jewish community about its priorities in the Middle East, but its platform fails to include several positions Jewish groups recom-mended.
The platform, finalized July 17-18 in Miami, resolves to uphold the close relationship between the United States and Israel. It also negates a Palestinian refugee "right of return" to Israel and says the armistice line ending Israel's 1948 War of Independence - known as the Green Line - cannot be the basis for negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, implicitly recognizing some Israeli claims to the West Bank.
"It is unrealistic to expect that the outcome of final status negotiations will be a full and complete return to the armistice line of 1949," the draft reads.
Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.), who drafted the language, expressed delight that her proposal was adopted "word for word."
"It's perfect," she told JTA. However, the platform ignores calls from several Jewish organizations to explicitly endorse the "road map" plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace, support Israel's plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and part of the West Bank, and justify Israel's West Bank security fence.
"A party platform is not supposed to specifically negate or support every item of a country's agenda at the moment," said Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.), who helped write the Middle East section of the platform. "The language that is contained in the platform is entirely consistent and supportive of the 'road map.'"
The American Jewish vote is being watched closely in this year's presidential election largely because of President Bush's support for Israel and Jewish approval of the policy positions Bush has laid out in the Middle East.
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