Palestinians Thursday slammed statements by presumptive Democratic party nominee for the United States Presidency Barak Obama, touting Jerusalem as the "undivided" capital of Israel, with Hamas calling them "irresponsible" and a senior Palestinian Authority official saying they closed "all doors to peace," according to dpa. Obama, who clinched the Democratic Party nomination for the presidency on Tuesday, told the conference of the America Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Wednesday that "Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided." Israel captured East Jerusalem in the 1967 war and annexed it shortly afterwards, insisting that the entire city is its "eternal, undivided capital." But Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state and the fate of the city is one of the core issues being negotiated between the sides. Senior Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar told reporters in Gaza that the comment by the presidential candidate "is rejected and condemned" and "reflects the biased US position towards Israel." "Such statements are irresponsible and reflect the ill US policy towards the Palestinians. His statements are made in this particular time as part of his election campaign," he said. In April, senior Hamas political official Ahmed Yousef told WABC radio in New York that the Islamist organization "liked" Obama and hoped he won the election. Obama's statement was also criticized by senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, who, in remarks aimed at the Illinois senator, told a news conference that "if you speak about Jerusalem being the undivided capital of Israel, sir, you are closing all doors for peace." "Those who are pro-peace do not speak about Jerusalem being the undivided capital of Israel," he said, adding that "US policy since 1967 has not changed. The US embassy is still in Tel Aviv and the US government considers East Jerusalem as occupied territory." "I thought Mr Obama is a man of change and he is running elections for change. So when it came to AIPAC, no change?" he continued. Other Palestinians however were less fazed, saying that Obama's statements were campaign rhetoric uttered in order to win pro-Israel votes in the United States. Palestinian newspaper columnist and analyst Hani Masri told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that "every American president is loyal and supportive of Israel. Therefore we cannot expect Obama to be any different and not declare his total support for Israel." But, he said, "we have to remember that Obama is running on a ticket of change. The change may not be 180 degrees and we cannot expect him not to side with Israel, regardless of how he feels about change. There will be change but he will not turn his back on Israel or go against it." Masri said that Obama is not George W Bush and that he will not continue a Mideast policy on the same line as Bush. "He may have said what he said on Jerusalem simply as campaign language but this does not mean he will not have a more even-handed policy toward the Middle East once he clinches the presidency," he pointed out. "Obama said his foreign policy will be based on dialogue with the enemies of the US and it will not be confrontational. This will not stop when it comes to Palestine," he said.
