HonestReporting Wins Precedent-Setting Ruling On Jerusalem As Israel's Capital

PRESS RELEASE

For immediate release: October 02, 2012

HONESTREPORTING WINS PRECEDENT-SETTING RULING ON ISRAEL'S CAPITAL

Responding to a complaint from HonestReporting, the UK’s Press Complaints Commission (PCC) ruled this week that The Guardian newspaper violated principles of accuracy when it stated that Tel Aviv was the capital of Israel.

The ruling set a precedent on British coverage of Israel, effectively barring all British publications from referring to Tel Aviv as Israel's capital. The PCC then upheld the precedent this week, ruling against the Daily Mail on the same issue. As a result of the ruling, the Daily Mail changed reference to "the Tel Aviv government" to "the Jerusalem government" and published a printed correction.

Daniel Pipes: Democrats Fib Again about Israel

The following by Daniel Pipes is reposted here with permission:

Democrats Fib Again about Israel

by Daniel Pipes
National Review Online
September 11, 2012

http://www.danielpipes.org/11939/democrats-israel

Last week saw a dispute over Jerusalem at the Democratic National Convention that, in the context of similar incidents, provides an important insight into the party's covert distancing of itself from Israel.

The story broke on Sept. 4, when the Washington Free Beacon reported that "Jerusalem is unmentioned" in the 2012 Democratic Party platform. This made news because, since it became U.S. law in 1995 that "Jerusalem should be recognized as the capital of the State of Israel," every platform of both major U.S. parties has reiterated this point. The Republican platform this year, for example, refers to "Israel with Jerusalem as its capital."

The Middle East Media Sampler 9/6/2012: Responses To Jerusalem Added Back Into Democratic Platform

From DG:

1) Platform Shmooze

Josh Rogin reported yesterday, Democratic platform drafters defend Israel section:

Changes between the 2008 Democratic Party platform's language on Israel and the 2012 version were due to a deliberate effort to refocus the platform toward President Barack Obama's policies, two officials directly involved in its drafting process told The Cable.
Leading pro-Israel groups such as AIPAC were heavily involved in the platform-drafting process, saw final language of the draft platform, and told platform drafters they were satisfied with it, both officials said. 

Certain parts of the pro-Israel community are up in arms this week over the fact that the latest version of the platform doesn't include certain passages from the previous version, such as language affirming that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, specific mentions of the terrorist group Hamas, and language spelling out the party's position that Palestinian refugees would be settled outside of Israel as part of any comprehensive arrangement to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

A few hours later he reported Dems change platform to include Jerusalem language after Obama intervened:

Was It Really Obama That Put Jerusalem Back In The Democratic Platform? (Updated)

Here is a scene that may well end up playing over and over again in the nightmares of Democratic leaders, as the Democratic National Committee publicly rams the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel down the throats of those attending the convention:



Based on the boos greeting the "passage" of the Jerusalem plank, it is pretty clear that the Democratic party is not nearly as Israel-friendly as many Jewish voters have been led to believe.

And how did it happen that the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel got put back into the platform?

PRESS RELEASE

For immediate release: August 8, 2012

HonestReporting Forces Guardian To Retract Claim That Tel Aviv Is Capital Of Israel

The Guardian has retracted its claim that Tel Aviv is the capital of Israel, writing unequivocally on Wednesday, "we accept that it is wrong to state that Tel Aviv – the country's financial and diplomatic centre – is the capital."