>Following are excerpts from an interview with CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on September 5, 2012.

Reporter: Mr. Awad, let's first talk about the Democrats' removal of the sentence "Jerusalem is the capital of Israel" from their political platform. What significance do you attribute to this omission?

Nihad Awad: This is an indication that the Democratic Party's political platform with regard to the Middle East is developing. However, this does not digress from the usual commitment of both the Democratic and Republican parties to deal with Israel the same way as in the past. This reflects a development in the ideology of the cadres of the Democratic Party, some of which are new generations of American Jews who different from their parents and believe in peace and coexistence. The changes in the Middle East and the rise of new governments seem to be changing the rules of the game and the cadres of the Democratic Party appreciate that.

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