Officials from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) were not consulted on the final version of the Democratic National Committee’s controversial language regarding Israel and the peace process, a revelation that calls into question numerous reports that the pro-Israel juggernaut was pleased with the party’s platform, according to a source close the group.
"AIPAC officials were not in the room when the platform was drafted," the source told the Free Beacon Tuesday evening. "AIPAC was never provided with a full draft of the Middle East section of the platform."
Pro-Israel supporters across the nation were stunned Tuesday when the DNC revealed several major and substantive changes to the party’s platform regarding Israel and the peace process, alterations that many viewed as detrimental to the U.S.-Israel relationship.
The DNC omitted sections of the party’s platform from 2004 and 2008 indicating that Jerusalem is and will remain the undivided, eternal capital of the Jewish people, a move that stoked concerns among Israel observers.
Following a report in the Huffington Post that quoted two DNC sources as claiming AIPAC "loved" the new platform, the AIPAC source indicated that this is not the case.
The AIPAC source went on to explain that pro-Israel organization had advocated in favor of preserving the language regarding Jerusalem.
"Jerusalem as the capital is Israel was part of the AIPAC submission to the platform committee," the AIPAC source said.
An official in the Jewish community who requested anonymity said the DNC process was "very surreptitious and very secretive."
"The idea that the pro-Israel community's leadership signed off on this is just not true," the official said.