Republican Party leaders reinserted key pro-Israel language into its 2016 platform on Monday following an exclusive Free Beacon report late last week describing efforts by certain elements of the GOP in 2012 to weaken language pertaining to the Jewish state.
The GOP decided to reinsert language describing Jerusalem as Israel's "undivided" capital and remove language advocating in favor of Palestine, according to reports on the final 2016 platform language.
The Free Beacon revealed last week that some party leaders affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, the nation's top pro-Israel lobbying shop, quietly pursued efforts in 2012 to remove references to an "undivided" Jerusalem and add language supporting Palestine.
These changes, viewed by many as an effort to water down the pro-Israel language, were opposed by a separate delegation of Republican leaders, who told the Free Beacon that AIPAC allies strong-armed platform committee members in order to force through the 2012 language.
AIPAC’s goal, the sources claimed, was to bring the GOP platform more in line with its Democratic counterpart. The lobby also opposed efforts from some Republicans to include alternative language viewed by many as more pro-Israel than what was ultimately included in the 2012 platform.
AIPAC has denied the charges.