It wasn’t just one heckler at the western wall—there was a news conference called by a coalition of groups against the Obama flip flop: Here’s the news release:
Coalition for a United Jerusalem to tell Obama:
Dividing Jerusalem Will Only Increase Terror Attacks Such as Today’s Horrific Event
July 22, 2008 3:30 PM Jerusalem Time
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Coalition for a United Jerusalem, an umbrella group of American/Israeli organizations has expressed its outrage over today’s terrorist attack perpetrated just hours before Senator Barack Obama is to arrive in Israel and steps from where the Senator is to be staying. “The clear ‘welcome’ message sent by the Palestinians is, in our estimation, meant to further advance the agenda of dividing Jerusalem into two capitals” said Harvey Schwartz, Chairman of the American Israeli Action Coalition, one the organizations represented by the Coalition for a United Jerusalem. “The lack of clarity on the indivisibility of Jerusalem as the eternal and exclusive capital of the Jewish State of Israel only encourages such attacks.”
“Today’s shocking terrorist attack in the heart of Jerusalem will seem small in comparison to what would happen if Palestinians are given free rein in a divided Jerusalem” said Rabbi Aaron Tirschwell, director of Israel operations for the Worldwide Young Israel Movement. “Only a united Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty and control minimizes the number of attempts to terrorize Jerusalemites.”
Jeff Daube, director of the Israel office of the Zionist Organization of America, added: “We implore Mr. Obama to ask any resident of Sderot or the Western Negev which he will be visiting this week how they feel about gazing across the barrier surrounding Gaza which has served to only increase the number of kassam rockets launched resulting in hundreds of deaths and thousands of wounded.”
Prior to today’s attack The Coalition, comprised of the American Israeli Action Coalition, the Council of Young Israel Rabbis in Israel, Emunah Women, the Rabbinical Council of America in Israel, the Worldwide Young Israel Movement, and the Zionist Organization of America, had scheduled a press conference this evening to address the issue of Mr. Obama’s recent flip flop on the issue of Jerusalem. The press conference will take place as scheduled at 7:30 PM at the Eldan Hotel, 24 King David Street, Jerusalem, just a few short blocks from the site of today’s terrorist attack.
For more information:
Jeff Daube, 052.538.0840; jdaube@zoa.org