Posted By James Besser
Political Insider: Presidents Conference Weighs In on Jerusalem / James Besser in Washington
Leaders of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to reaffirm Jerusalem's status as the "eternal, sovereign capital of Israel" - despite the argument by several members that the resolution would just undercut renewed Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
Seymour Reich, president of the Israel Policy Forum who attended in his capacity as a former chair of the conference, said that the resolution merely reaffirms longstanding Conference policy - but that "to restate it at this point sends a bad message to Prime Minister Olmert and undermines the negotiations with the Palestinians."
Reich said the vote also "undermines the credibility of the Conference because it doesn't reflect the views of the American Jewish community, which -- while attached to Jerusalem -- is prepared to say everything is on the table."
But supporters pointed to a recent American Jewish Committee poll showing a growing majority of American Jews - 58 percent - now oppose compromise on Jerusalem.
Reich and Rabbi Eric Yoffie of the Union for Reform Jerusalem argued against the resolution; it was supported just as vocally by the Zionist Organization of America and several other groups.
The vote hints of a growing rift between an Israeli government committed to helping create a Palestinian state by the end of next year and an American community that includes an increasingly active coalition opposing any compromise on Jerusalem.
A supporter of the resolution said "the conference was just confirming what a majority of American Jews believe - that any compromise on Jerusalem would be a major disaster."
The Conference put off until next month a ZOA-sponsored resolution demanding that Fatah rescind anti-Israel sections of its constitution.