CHARLOTTE, N.C. – President Obama ordered his staff to have the Democratic Party’s platform language changed to include God and affirm Jerusalem as the proper capital of Israel, a campaign source said Wednesday. 
 
 Obama ordered his staff to make the change, the source said, and Democrats followed by restoring language on both on a floor vote. The changes happened after Republicans seized on both to attack the party. 
 
 Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the convention’s chairman, held three voice votes on the matter, the first two of which failed. The crowd booed the third when Villaraigosa declared the change was approved by a two-thirds majority. 
 
 The move on Jerusalem, a city claimed by both Israel and the Palestinians, puts the Democratic Party’s platform in direct opposition to longstanding U.S. policy on Jerusalem, which has been that all “final status issues” be left to negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. 
 
 Obama's involvement in the platform change was first reported by The Associated Press. 
 
 Read more about: Barack Obama, DNC, Israel ||||| President Barack Obama personally intervened to order Democrats to change language in their party platform to add a mention of God and declare that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, campaign officials said Wednesday. 
 
 Los Angeles Mayor and Democratic Convention Chairman Antonio Villaraigosa calls for a vote to amend the platform the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., on Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2012. (AP... (Associated Press) 
 
 Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland reads a motion to amend the platform at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., on Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) (Associated Press) 
 
 Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland reads a motion to amend the platform at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., on Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2012. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (Associated Press) 
 
 Los Angeles Mayor and Democratic Convention Chairman Antonio Villaraigosa calls for a vote to amend the platform at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., on Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2012.... (Associated Press) 
 
 Scrambling to end a furor, Democrats abruptly changed the platform early Wednesday evening to reinstate language from the 2008 platform that said "we need a government that stands up for the hopes, values and interests of working people and gives everyone willing to work hard the chance to make the most of their God-given potential." Mitt Romney and other Republicans had seized on the omission to criticize the Democrats. 
 
 Democrats also restored 2008 language on Jerusalem, declaring the city "is and will remain the capital of Israel. The parties have agreed that Jerusalem is a matter for final status negotiations. It should remain an undivided city accessible to people of all faiths." 
 
 Campaign officials said Obama's reaction on the omission of God from the platform was to wonder why it was removed in the first place. 
 
 The officials requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about private discussions. 
 
 The platform changes did not sit well with some Democratic delegates gathered in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the party's three-day convention. Many in the audience booed after the convention chairman, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, ruled that the amendments had been approved despite the fact that a large group of delegates had objected. He called for a vote three times before ruling. 
 
 The revisions came as Obama struggles to win support from white working-class voters, many of whom have strong religious beliefs, and as Republicans try to woo Jewish voters and contributors away from the Democratic Party. Republicans claimed the platform omissions suggested Obama was weak in his defense of Israel and out of touch with mainstream Americans. 
 
 Democrats had approved a platform on Tuesday that made no mention of God or Jerusalem. Instead, it expressed "unshakable commitment to Israel's security." Republicans quickly pounced. 
 
 Republican officials argued that not taking a position on Jerusalem's status in the party platform raised questions about Obama's support for the Mideast ally. Romney said omitting God "suggests a party that is increasingly out of touch with the mainstream of the American people." 
 
 "I think this party is veering further and further away into an extreme wing that American's don't recognize," Romney said. 
 
 The Democratic Party's decision to restore the mention of Jerusalem reflected what advisers said was the president's personal view, if not the policy of his administration. The administration has long said determining Jerusalem's status was an issue that should be decided by Israelis and Palestinians in peace talks, but has been careful not to state that Jerusalem is Israel's capital. 
 
 Romney's campaign quickly sought to capitalize on the slight, but important difference. 
 
 "Mitt Romney has consistently stated his belief that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel," said Andrea Saul, Romney's spokeswoman. "President Obama has repeatedly refused to say the same himself. Now is the time for President Obama to state in unequivocal terms whether or not he believes Jerusalem is Israel's capital." 
 
 The White House wouldn't say whether the change in the Democratic platform language reflected a change in administration policy. 
 
 Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said the reinstated party language reflected "the policy of both Republican and Democratic administrations for decades." 
 
 Following the decision, former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland told reporters, "It was an effort to bring clarification." 
 
 Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat, said the move was a "reasonable adjustment" because many Democrats felt the platform should reflect the party's belief that Jerusalem should be capital of Israel. 
 
 "I felt pretty frustrated that a lot of us who have a very strong point of view on this weren't given a heads up, weren't given a briefing on this, it was just kind of sailing along," Casey said. 
 
 But the decision to amend the platform upset some delegates. 
 
 Noor Ul-Hasan, a Muslim delegate from Salt Lake City, Utah, said she felt it went against the principle of the separation of church and state. 
 
 "There are people who don't believe in God and you have to respect that as well," Ul-Hasan said. She also questioned whether the convention had enough of a quorum to even amend the platform. "There was no discussion. We didn't even see it coming. We were blindsided by it." 
 
 Angela Urrea, a delegate from Roy, Utah, said she felt it was sprung on the convention without any discussion. 
 
 "The majority spoke last night," Urrea said, referring to Tuesday's vote. "We shouldn't be declaring Jerusalem as the capital of Israel." 
 
 Republicans declared Jerusalem the capital of Israel in the platform the party approved last week at its convention in Tampa, Florida. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Peoples reported from Utah. Associated Press writer Ken Thomas in Charlotte, North Carolina, contributed to this report. ||||| 4 years ago 
 
 (CNN) - Democrats voted to update their party's platform Wednesday evening at their convention to include a reference to Jerusalem being the capital of Israel, as well as the insertion of the word "God," neither of which was included in their platform this year but was in previous platforms. 
 
 President Barack Obama himself intervened regarding the Jerusalem language, a senior Democratic source told CNN, adding, that he thought the original draft was "a strong statement and he didn't want there to be any confusion about his unshakeable commitment to the security of state israel. The issue of the day is Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah." 
 
 
 
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 The change, proposed by former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland immediately after the convention was gaveled into order on Wednesday, required a two-thirds voice vote, but was declared as adopted after three voice votes which brought delegates to their feet, shouting their yeas and nays. Democratic sources told CNN prior to the vote that it was to take place by acclamation. 
 
 "I am here to attest and affirm that our faith and belief in God is central to the American story and informs the values we've expressed in our party's platform," Strickland, who chaired the party's platform committee, read. "In addition, President Obama recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and our party's platform should as well. " 
 
 Read more: How the chaos went down 
 
 The 2008 platform read, "Jerusalem is and will remain the capital of Israel. The parties have agreed that Jerusalem is a matter for final status negotiations. It should remain an undivided city accessible to people of all faiths." 
 
 That language was reinserted on Wednesday but was not included in the 2012 platform, which was released earlier this week and adopted by the party at the convention on Tuesday. The language which was added to this year's platform is slightly different from the 2008 version. 
 
 The word God, which appeared in the 2008 and 2004 platform, was not originally included in the 2012 version. 
 
 When he learned of the absence of the word God from the platform, Obama reacted by saying, "Why on earth would that have been taken out?" three Democratic sources told CNN. 
 
 Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said in a statement after that vote that "the platform is being amended to maintain consistency with the personal views expressed by the President and in the Democratic Party platform in 2008. 
 
 "Jerusalem is and will remain the capital of Israel. The parties have agreed that Jerusalem is a matter for final status negotiations. It should remain an undivided city accessible to people of all faiths," she said. "It has been the policy of both Republican and Democratic administrations for decades that Jerusalem is a final status issue to be negotiated directly between the two parties, as part of discussions to achieve a two-state solution that secures the Jewish state and homeland. 
 
 "Our party platform already expresses strong support for the peace process and makes clear the steps that any Palestinian partner must take to be a part of such a process - recognizing Israel's right to exist, rejecting violence, and adhering to existing agreements," she continued. 
 
 The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) said in a statement that they "welcome reinstatement to the Democratic platform of the language affirming Jerusalem as Israel's capital. 
 
 "Together, these party platforms reflect strong bipartisan support for the US – Israel relationship," the statement read. 
 
 Rep. Steve Israel, who as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee takes the lead on electing Democrats to the House of Representatives, told CNN's John Berman that "several colleagues in Congress expressed concern" about the omission. 
 
 "It has been repaired and and resolved and now we need to get on to other issues," he said. 
 
 Former Sen. Robert Wexler, a Florida Democrat, said that "the president's record on Israel is an a plus and there is no reason to have any confusion about his commitment to the profound issues israel is confronting in terms of security." 
 
 In his convention speech Tuesday evening, Wexler said that "President Obama has bravely stood up for Israel In the international community." 
 
 Republicans had criticized Democrats over the changes, and after the vote, Romney campaign spokeswoman Andrea saul said that the GOP presidential candidate "has consistently stated his belief that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. 
 
 "Although today's voice vote at the Democratic National Convention was unclear, the Democratic Party has acknowledged Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. President Obama has repeatedly refused to say the same himself," she charged. "Now is the time for President Obama to state in unequivocal terms whether or not he believes Jerusalem is Israel's capital." 
 
 Earlier on Wednesday, Romney's running mate Paul Ryan said that the Democratic platform "undermines our nation's support for our ally, Israel." 
 
 - CNN's Dana Bash and Gregory Wallace contributed to this report ||||| The Democratic national convention in Charlotte has been plunged into chaos with a row over Israel threatening to overshadow Bill Clinton's speech as the second day of business was mired in a clumsy and embarrassing climbdown. 
 
 Barack Obama intervened personally to try and head off a mounting clamour from Jewish donors and pro-Israel groups who objected to the dropping of a line supporting Jerusalem as the capital of Israel from the Democratic policy platform. 
 
 A day after the platform was published without the recognition of Jerusalem, the line was reinstated. Pressure had been building over not only the dropping of that statement – which was part of the Democratic party platform in 2008 – but also the removal of any reference to God in the document. Those omissions threatened to alienate both Jewish Democratic supporters and Christian swing voters. 
 
 But the reintroduction of the lines was equally controversial; its clumsy handling resulting in a confusing vote and booing on the convention floor. 
 
 At the formal opening of the day's business, the convention chairman, Antonio Villaraigosa, proposed a vote to return to the document its past commitment to Jerusalem as the Israeli capital as well as a reference to God. 
 
 He called for those in favour of the change to shout 'Aye' and those against 'No'. It was a hard to tell, with the two sounding evenly-divided. Villaraigosa called the vote a total of three times to no certain result but eventually called it for the Ayes. 
 
 In fact, the change required a two-thirds vote in favour and it definitely did not sound anywhere close to that. But Villaraigosa pushed it through anyway, determined to try to bring a speedy end to an awkward row. There was loud booing in the hall when he announced the changes had gone through. 
 
 Jewish donors, particularly in New York, and pro-Israeli lobby groups are generous supporters not only to Obama but to individual senators and members of the House, who are also facing election in November. The changes were pushed through after Obama contacted party leaders asking for their reinstatement. 
 
 Quoting Democrat sources, Jessica Yellin, CNN's chief White House correspondent, reported on Twitter that when Obama was told "God" had been removed from the platform, he responded: "Why on earth was it changed?" 
 
 The self-inflicted row came as party leaders were congratulating themselves on the smooth running of the convention's opening day on Tuesday. The Republicans pounced on the original omission as evidence that Obama does not fully support Israel. The subsequent booing on the convention floor was portrayed by right-wing commentators as "Democrats booing God". 
 
 Republican challenger Mitt Romney said omitting God "suggests a party that is increasingly out of touch with the mainstream of the American people." 
 
 He added: "I think this party is veering further and further away into an extreme wing that Americans don't recognise." 
 
 On Jerusalem, Romney's spokeswoman, Andrea Saul, said: "Mitt Romney has consistently stated his belief that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. President Obama has repeatedly refused to say the same himself. Now is the time for President Obama to state in unequivocal terms whether or not he believes Jerusalem is Israel's capital." 
 
 The Anti-Defamation League, a pro-Israel organisation, welcomed the change but questioned why the reference to Jerusalem being the capital had been removed in the first place. 
 
 "We welcome the amendment referencing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and we applaud the DNC for listening and for being responsive to the concerns raised by supporters of Israel," said Abraham H Foxman, ADL national director. "But we are still troubled that it was removed, and it should never have happened in the first place. This has been a longstanding policy statement on the DNC platform going back decades." ||||| The floor of the Democratic National Convention erupted Wednesday over a sudden move to restore to the platform a reference to "God" and recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital -- after heavy criticism from Republicans for initially omitting them. 
 
 Democrats, though, were hardly in agreement over the reversal. 
 
 A large and loud group of delegates shouted "no" as convention chairman, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, called for the vote late Wednesday afternoon. Villaraigosa had to call for the vote three times before ruling that the "ayes" had it. Many in the crowd booed after he determined the language would be restored. 
 
 The battle marked the biggest platform fight so far in either party's convention, and signaled Democrats were worried the prior language could have been politically damaging in a tight election year. 
 
 A senior campaign official told Fox News that President Obama personally intervened to change the language in both cases. On the "God" reference, the official said the president's response was "why did it change in the first place?" 
 
 Rep. Sander Levin, D-Mich., told Fox News that he pushed to restore the Jerusalem language. 
 
 "I wanted a change (back). I talked to several people close to the president," Levin said, without saying whether he spoke to the president. "The '08 platform stated (the policy) correctly ... that Jerusalem was the capital of Israel." 
 
 In the section referencing "God," the change effectively restored language that had been in the 2008 platform. It now says: "We need a government that stands up for the hopes, values, and interests of working people, and gives everyone willing to work hard the chance to make the most of their God-given potential." 
 
 The initial 2012 platform language said this: "We gather to reclaim the basic bargain that built the largest middle class and the most prosperous nation on Earth -- the simple principle that in America, hard work should pay off, responsibility should be rewarded, and each one of us should be able to go as far as our talent and drive take us." 
 
 The change came after both Mitt Romney and GOP running mate Paul Ryan criticized the omission. In an interview with Fox News, Romney said the omission signaled the "party is veering further and further away into an extreme wing that Americans don't recognize." 
 
 "(That) this party purposely removed God from their platform suggests a party that is increasingly out of touch with the mainstream of the American people," Romney said. "I see it as being as out of touch and detached." 
 
 Democrats also restored a section on Israel that had previously been left out. The language on Jerusalem now states "it is and will remain the capital of Israel. The parties have agreed that Jerusalem is a matter for final status negotiations. It should remain an undivided city accessible to people of all faiths." 
 
 The switch on Jerusalem puts it in line with what advisers said was the president's personal view, if not the policy of his administration. The administration has long said determining Jerusalem's status was an issue that should be decided by Israelis and Palestinians in peace talks, but has been careful not to state that Jerusalem is Israel's capital. 
 
 The White House wouldn't say whether the change in the Democratic platform language reflected a change in administration policy. 
 
 Republicans argued that not taking a position on Jerusalem's status in the party platform showed the president was weak in his support of Israel. 
 
 "They now say they are not certain what the capital of Israel may be. I think that's another example of Israel being thrown under the bus by the president," Romney told Fox News, before the platform revision. 
 
 Democrats, when the revision came to a vote, were clearly divided Wednesday over whether to bow to pressure and make the changes. 
 
 Some delegates claimed after the vote that the platform change didn’t actually win the two-thirds majority necessary to pass – though it was only gauged by a voice vote. 
 
 “The majority of the delegation here at the Democratic National Convention supported the previous language and instead after three attempts to vote and it failed twice, and for whatever reason it still failed but was still pushed through,” said Rashida Tlaib, of the Michigan delegation. 
 
 Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, head of the platform committee, downplayed the turnaround. "I wouldn't call it an error," he told Fox News. "It was a clarification." 
 
 Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said in a statement that the changes were made "to maintain consistency with the personal views expressed by the president and in the Democratic Party platform in 2008." 
 
 "Jerusalem is and will remain the capital of Israel. The parties have agreed that Jerusalem is a matter for final status negotiations. It should remain an undivided city accessible to people of all faiths," she said. 
 
 She noted administrations of both parties have said the status of Jerusalem should be negotiated by the Israelis and Palestinians. 
 
 The floor fight erupted as the speaking program was getting under way on the convention's second day. Former President Bill Clinton spokeWednesday night, for the formal nomination of Obama. 
 
 Romney, meanwhile, kept up the pressure on Democrats from out of state. In the interview with Fox News, he claimed Democrats at the convention were ignoring the question he posed at the Republican convention last week in Tampa: Are Americans better off today than they were four years ago? Romney claimed they weren't. On weekend interviews, Obama surrogates hesitated on the question before eventually claiming the country was better off, though the question has not factored prominently inside the convention arena. 
 
 "No one in the convention so far has had the temerity to say that people are better off in America because they realize that's not the case," Romney said. "The convention so far is a celebration of failure." 
 
 Fox News' Carl Cameron, Ed Henry and Chad Pergram and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
– The Democrats' platform will include references to God and to Jerusalem being the capital of Israel, after all. Republicans, including Mitt Romney himself, had seized on the absence of both in the platform that got adopted yesterday. This afternoon, the party added both in a floor voice vote at the convention, though it took three tries, and even then many in the audience seemed skeptical that the two-thirds threshold of "ayes" had been reached. (The Guardian says the convention was "plunged into chaos" at the move.) Most wire services cite sources who say President Obama himself ordered that the references be reinserted. (AP, Fox News, CNN, and Politico agree on that.) "Why on earth would that have been taken out?" Obama reportedly said, referring to the removal of a reference to God. The restored version reads: "We need a government that stands up for the hopes, values, and interests of working people, and gives everyone willing to work hard the chance to make the most of their God-given potential." The Jerusalem reference now reads that "it is and will remain the capital of Israel. The parties have agreed that Jerusalem is a matter for final status negotiations. It should remain an undivided city accessible to people of all faiths."