Democrats reinstate Jerusalem reference in party platform

Democrats reinstated language in their party platform on Wednesday, amending Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel.

The embarrassing turnaround comes after Republicans accused them of failing to show support for the longtime U.S. ally.

Wording mentioning God was also restored as Democrats changed the platform language to say government should help people "make the most of their God-given potential."

Campaign officials said the change over Israel was ordered by President Barack Obama to reflect his personal views. Obama was also opposed to the reference to God being removed.

To reinstate the language, Democratic convention chair and Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa called for a voice vote three times. At times the outcome appeared uncertain when the "no" votes seemed to be louder.

Eventually, Villaraigosa declared the amendment had been approved by a two-thirds vote.

Over the years, presidents from both parties have voiced their support for making Jerusalem the capital of Israel. However, like most other countries, they have are yet to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv. This stems from a belief that the future of Jerusalem should be decided between Israelis and Palestinians.

Declaring Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is seen as a great symbol of support for the United States’ most crucial ally in the Middle East. To omit the reference risks a party being favored by the influential Jewish-American community.