ZOA To Sec'y Clinton: Apologize To Former NY Constituents Having, As
Senator, Falsely Claimed Support For Undivided Jerusalem

March 25, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Morton A. Klein
Phone: 212-481-1500
www.zoa.org/sitedocuments/pressrelease_view.asp?pressreleaseID=1837

The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has written to Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton asking her "to apologize to your former New York
constituents (when you were their Senator) for having misled them by falsely
claiming to support an undivided Jerusalem as Israel's capital." The letter
was signed by Morton A. Klein, President of ZOA; Dr. Michael Goldblatt,
Chairman, National Board; Dr. Alan Mazurek, Chair, Executive Committee and
Steven Goldberg, Esq., Vice-Chairman, National Board.

The letter went on to say, "when you were New York's Senator from 2001 to
2009, you repeatedly stated in speeches and in a September 2007 position
paper that you believed 'Israel's right to exist in safety as a Jewish
state, with defensible borders and an undivided Jerusalem as its capital,
must never be questioned.' Your spokesperson, Jim Chon, even said, 'this
paper is a reflection of her consistent policy.that hasn't changed.'

"Madame Secretary, you also signed the June 2004 Senate Resolution endorsing
President Bush's letter to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that
supported Israel 'retaining major Israeli population centers' in Judea and
Samaria in any final peace agreement.'

"We make this demand following your passionate and heartfelt condemnation of
Israel for announcing the construction of Jewish homes in a Jewish
neighborhood in eastern Jerusalem by stating that Jews building and moving
there 'is an insult to America.' The only reasonable interpretation of this
policy is that it is a first step toward dividing Jerusalem."

Despite Israel's unilateral concession of a ten-month freeze on Jewish
construction in Judea and Samaria, excluding Jerusalem, which the Obama
Administration and you had accepted and even praised, the Administration
harshly condemned Israel. Secretary Clinton made a harsh telephone call to
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in which, according to the words
of the State Department, she called the Israeli announcement "a deeply
negative signal about Israel's approach to the bilateral relationship (Glenn
Lessler, 'Clinton rebukes Israel over east Jerusalem plan, cites damage to
bilateral ties,' Washington Post, March 15, 2010). Clinton also later
described it as being "not only an insult to [visiting Vice-President
Joseph] Biden, but an insult to the United States" (Moshe Dann, 'A blessing
in disguise,' Yediot Ahronot, March 15, 2010).

The ZOA letter went on to say, "Your shocking words about Israel building in
east Jerusalem is especially perplexing in light of the fact that you have
ignored Congress passing the 'Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995' by a margin of
93 to 5 in the U.S. Senate and 347 to 37 in the U.S. House of
Representatives.

"The Act which is U.S. Law stated:

(1) Jerusalem should remain an undivided city.
(2) Jerusalem should be recognized as the capital of the state of
Israel.'

It also stated

(1) Each sovereign nation, under international law and
custom, may designate its own capital.
(2) Since 1950, the city of Jerusalem has been the capital
of the State of Israel.
(3) The city of Jerusalem is the seat of Israel's President,
Parliament, and Supreme Court, and the site of numerous
government ministries and social and cultural institutions.
(4) The city of Jerusalem is the spiritual center of
Judaism, and is also considered a holy city by the members of
other religious faiths.
(5) From 1948-1967, Jerusalem was a divided city and Israeli
citizens of all faiths as well as Jewish citizens of all states
were denied access to holy sites in the area controlled by
Jordan.
(6) In 1967, the city of Jerusalem was reunited during the
conflict known as the Six Day War.
(7) Since 1967, Jerusalem has been a united city
administered by Israel, and persons of all religious faiths have
been guaranteed full access to holy sites within the city.
(8) This year marks the 28th consecutive year that Jerusalem
has been administered as a unified city in which the rights of
all faiths have been respected and protected.
(9) In 1990, the Congress unanimously adopted Senate
Concurrent Resolution 106, which declares that the Congress
``strongly believes that Jerusalem must remain an undivided city."
(10) In 1992, the United States Senate and House of
Representatives unanimously adopted Senate Concurrent Resolution
113 of the One Hundred Second Congress to commemorate the 25th
anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem, and reaffirming
congressional sentiment that Jerusalem must remain an undivided
city.

ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, "It took only a few months to
confirm that Secretary of State Clinton bears little resemblance to Senator
Clinton on Israel issues and was apparently misrepresenting her true views
and beliefs on Israel to her New York constituents. From having once loudly
proclaimed support for an undivided Jerusalem, upon becoming Secretary of
State, suddenly, parts of an "undivided Jerusalem" became places where Jews
may not move or build, even tough Jews were a majority in eastern Jerusalem
from the mid-1800s until 1948, when Jordan forced Jewish residents to flee,
and are now a majority once again. Her recent harsh words of condemnation -
a term used in diplomacy normally only to describe the most heinous acts
normally committed by a non-democratic regime, confirms that Secretary
Clinton did not believe what she said about Jerusalem when she was Senator
Clinton.

"Preventing Jews, because they are Jews, from moving into or developing
their communities in Jerusalem is a racist and even apartheid American and
Palestinian Arab policy which aims to weaken Israel's claim to Jerusalem and
is a first step towards dividing the city. This is a policy one would never
have expected Secretary Clinton to support in view of her previous
unequivocal statements, as U.S. Senator from New York, of support for a
united Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty.

"Secretary Clinton owes her New York Jewish and pro-Israel constituents a
public apology."