International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, 14 Jul 2008

Ever since he surprised the annual AIPAC convention in June with comments on his position regarding the status of Jerusalem, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has been trying to clarify that he really does not mean the city should be Israel’s "undivided capital."

Obama again backtracked from any 'misunderstanding' during an interview with CNN on Sunday, saying: "The point we were simply making was, is that we don't want barbed wire running through Jerusalem, similar to the way it was prior to the '67 war, that it is possible for us to create a Jerusalem that is cohesive and coherent. I was not trying to predetermine what are essentially final-status issues," said the Democrat hopeful.

Obama added that Israel and the Palestinians should discuss such issues on their own, with the support of the US, and that Israel must realize its existence depends on its ability to achieve peace with its neighbors, while the Palestinian leadership must come to terms with the fact that the battles it fights do not "deliver the goods" for the Palestinian people.

The issue has resurfaced as Obama prepares to visit Israel next week during a European and Middle Eastern tour in which he will meet briefly with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and opposition leader Binyamin Netanyahu.

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