Day After DNC ‘Jerusalem’ Controversy, State Dept. Still Refuses to Name Israel’s Capital

Even after the Democratic Party reinstated wording that mentions Jerusalem as the capital of Israel to “reflect” the views of President Obama at the Democratic National Convention Wednesday, the U.S. State Department again refused to name the capital of Israel on Thursday, citing a vague “administration policy” that says Israel and Palestine should resolve the issue through negotiations.
“Which city does the U.S. Government recognize as the capital in the – Israel?” a reporter asked State Department Press Secretary Patrick Ventrell.
“Well, as you know, longstanding Administration policy, both in this Administration and in previous administrations across both parties, is that the status of Jerusalem is an issue that should be resolved in final status negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. So that’s longstanding Administration policy and continues to be so,” Ventrell replied.
The reporter was persistent but was unable to get any other response from him. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney also refused to name the capital of Israel in July and another State Department official had a similar exchange in March.
The State Department’s daily press briefing provides the full transcript of the uncomfortable exchange:
QUESTION: On Israel?
MR. VENTRELL: Yeah.
QUESTION: Which city does the U.S. Government recognize as the capital in the – Israel?
MR. VENTRELL: Well, as you know, longstanding Administration policy, both in this Administration and in previous administrations across both parties, is that the status of Jerusalem is an issue that should be resolved in final status negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. So that’s longstanding Administration policy and continues to be so.

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