"We shouldn't be declaring Jerusalem as the capital of Israel."

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Needled by Mitt Romney and other Republicans,
Democrats hurriedly rewrote their convention platform Wednesday to add
a mention of God and declare Jerusalem the capital of Israel after
President Barack Obama intervened to order the changes.

The embarrassing reversal was compounded by chaos and uncertainty on
the convention floor, requiring three votes before a ruling that the
amendments had been approved. Many in the audience booed the decision.

The episode exposed tensions on Israel within the party, put Democrats
on the defensive and created a public relations spectacle as Obama
arrived in the convention city to claim his party's nomination for a
second term.

The language in the party platform — a political document — does not
affect actual U.S. policy toward Israel. The administration has long
said that determining Jerusalem's status is an issue that should be
decided in peace talks by Israelis and Palestinians.

Obama intervened directly to get the language changed both on
Jerusalem and to reinstate God in the platform, according to campaign
officials who insisted on anonymity to describe behind-the-scenes
party negotiations. They said Obama's reaction to the omission of God
from the platform was to wonder why it was removed in the first place.

The revisions came as Obama struggles to win support from white
working-class voters, many of whom have strong religious beliefs, and
as Republicans try to woo Jewish voters and contributors away from the
Democratic Party. Republicans claimed the platform omissions suggested
Obama was weak in his defense of Israel and out of touch with
mainstream Americans.

GOP officials argued that not taking a position on Jerusalem's status
in the party platform raised questions about Obama's support for the
Mideast ally. Romney said omitting God "suggests a party that is
increasingly out of touch with the mainstream of the American people."

"I think this party is veering further and further away into an
extreme wing that Americans don't recognize," Romney said.

Added to the platform was a declaration that Jerusalem "is and will
remain the capital of Israel. The parties have agreed that Jerusalem
is a matter for final status negotiations. It should remain an
undivided city accessible to people of all faiths."

That language was included in the platform four years ago when Obama
ran for his first term, but was left out when Democrats on Tuesday
approved their 2012 platform, which referred only to the nation's
"unshakable commitment to Israel's security."

Some delegates were angered by the change.

"There was no discussion. We didn't even see it coming. We were
blindsided by it," said Noor Ul-Hasan, a Muslim delegate from Salt
Lake City, who questioned whether the convention had enough of a
quorum to even amend the platform.

Also restored from the 2008 platform was language calling for a
government that "gives everyone willing to work hard the chance to
make the most of their God-given potential."

For decades, Republican and Democratic administrations alike have said
it is up to the Israelis and Palestinians to settle Jerusalem's final
status — a position reiterated earlier Wednesday by the White House.
Both sides claim Jerusalem as their capital, and the city's status has
long been among the thorniest issues in Mideast peace talks.

The U.S. has its embassy in Tel Aviv, although numerous Republicans —
including Mitt Romney — have vowed to move the embassy to Jerusalem.

During his 2008 campaign, Obama referred to Jerusalem as Israel's
capital in a speech to AIPAC, a pro-Israel lobby. But as official
policy, his administration has repeatedly maintained that Jerusalem's
status is an issue that Israelis and Palestinians should decide in
peace talks. The platform flub gave Republicans an opening to revive
their attacks on Obama's support for Israel just as Democrats were
hoping to bask in the glow of first lady Michelle Obama's Tuesday
speech and gin up excitement for her husband, who will accept his
party's nomination for a second term on Thursday.

But restoring the language did not placate Republicans, who used it to
suggest that Obama's party is now more supportive than he is of the
Jewish state.

"Now is the time for President Obama to state in unequivocal terms
whether or not he believes Jerusalem is Israel's capital," said Romney
spokeswoman Andrea Saul.

Even as Democrats worked to quell the political fallout from the
omission, some Democrats in Charlotte were in open revolt. Angry
delegates screamed and threw their hands in the air as Los Angeles
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the convention chairman, declared the
amendments approved.

"The majority spoke last night," said Angela Urrea, a delegate from
Roy, Utah. "We shouldn't be declaring Jerusalem as the capital of
Israel."

Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., said the move was a "reasonable adjustment,"
but suggested the party could have avoided the skirmish.

Republicans declared Jerusalem the capital of Israel in the platform
the party approved last week at its convention in Tampa, Fla. GOP
platforms in 2004 and 2008 also called Jerusalem the capital.

Lederman reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Steve
Peoples in Utah, Bradley Klapper in Washington, and Ken Thomas, Ben
Feller and Matthew Daly in Charlotte contributed.
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myth believing politicians in America must be forced to fund their own
charities. Israel is not part of America and we don't owe them
security or welfare.

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