Obama in 2008: ‘Jerusalem Will Remain the Capital of Israel, and It Must Remain Undivided’

As a candidate running for president in 2008, then-Senator Obama promised the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) that he would commit to keeping Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and that the city must remain undivided.

This week, the president broke that pledge, acquiescing on a United Nations resolution that deemed East Jerusalem off limits to Jews. East Jerusalem contains the Jewish Quarter, with sites like the Western Wall and the Temple Mount.

Here's an excerpt from his 2008 remarks:

Let me be clear. Israel’s security is sacrosanct. It is non-negotiable. The Palestinians need a state that is contiguous and cohesive and that allows them to prosper, but any agreement with the Palestinian people must preserve Israel’s identity as a Jewish state with secure, recognized and defensible borders. And Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided.

In 2008, Obama also visited the Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall, during a trip to Israel. He was then competing against Sen. McCain for the Jewish vote. 

During his visit to Israel, President Obama reiterated his pledge to keep Jerusalem undivided. 

"I continue to say that Jerusalem will be the capital of Israel," he said during remarks at the Sderot police station. "I also have said it is important that we don't simply slice the city in half."