“Obama’s US ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro acknowledged that concerns about the language were not ‘addressed to the full satisfaction of all parties.’ Still, he said, the document made ‘significant and overdue strides while sustaining the unity of our party.’
“‘The platform makes clear our opposition to unilateral steps by either side to undermine prospects for peace,’ he argued. ‘For the first time, we say clearly…. our opposition to Israeli settlement expansion. For the first time, we state clearly and by name our opposition to Israel’s annexation of territory of the West Bank. We state clearly that we will continue to stand against incitement and terror, and for the first time, we recognize the right of Palestinians to live in a state of their own…'”