http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021043464 (pro-palestine)
Romney Jerusalem remarks 'harm US interests': Palestinians
US presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's endorsement of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is "harmful" to US interests in the Middle East, a senior Palestinian official said on Sunday.
"Romney's declarations are harmful to American interests in our region, and they harm peace, security and stability," Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told AFP.
"Even if this statement is within the US election campaign, it is unacceptable and we completely reject it. The US election campaign should never be at the expense of the Palestinians," he said.
"Romney is rewarding occupation, settlement and extremism in the region with such declarations."
Netanyahu as villian? Mitt Romney’s foreign policy speech to the Jerusalem Foundation in Israel on Sunday qualified him to be President—of Israel. His observations were as remarkable for what he didn’t say as for what he did. They could have been written by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, for they parallel his thinking almost exactly, and they were
Mr. Romney didn’t mention the Palestinians (although he later made an invidious comparison of Palestinians to Israelis that was deemed racist by Palestinian officials), nor did he offer any remarks on the settlements in the West Bank—arguably Israel’s most pressing problem. Indeed, he explicitly called for Americans not to engage in any criticism of Israel at all, since Israelis seemed to be capable of self-critique.
Romney Jerusalem remarks 'harm US interests': Palestinians
US presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's endorsement of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is "harmful" to US interests in the Middle East, a senior Palestinian official said on Sunday.
"Romney's declarations are harmful to American interests in our region, and they harm peace, security and stability," Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told AFP.
"Even if this statement is within the US election campaign, it is unacceptable and we completely reject it. The US election campaign should never be at the expense of the Palestinians," he said.
"Romney is rewarding occupation, settlement and extremism in the region with such declarations."
Worse Than London: Romney's Reckless Remarks In Jerusalem
(left wing anti-republican pro-arab)
www.nationalmemo.com/worse-than-london-romneys-reckless...Share
15 hours ago – But it was Romney himself who suggested — in a speech that skirted violating ... from almost any American politician, Republican or Democrat.
While Mitt Romney’s boorish remarks about the Olympics in London were humiliating enough, the comments emanating from him and his campaign in Israel were still more embarrassing – and potentially more damaging, too.
Seeking to consolidate support on the religious far right, both Christian and Jewish, the Republican candidate and his chief foreign policy surrogate confirmed their ideological obedience in the most abject fashion possible. Without articulating a real policy, their statements reflected such complete submission to neoconservative ideology that even the Bush administration appears moderate by contrast. That they would do so within hours of a high-dollar fundraising event in Jerusalem, attended by major right-wing donors such as Sheldon Adelson, added a jarringly mercenary tone to their reckless words.
Dan Senor, the former Bush administration spokesman in Baghdad who now serves as Romney’s senior foreign policy advisor, startled reporters on Sunday when he promised the most hawkish Israelis a free hand to mount a military attack against Iran. “If Israel has to take action on its own, in order to stop Iran from developing that capability, the governor would respect that decision,” said Senor during a briefing that preceded Romney’s address in Jerusalem. The predicate for such an attack, according to Senor, would not be Iran’s development of a nuclear weapon, but its attainment of the capacity to do so.
Romney slams Obama: Public diplomatic distance emboldens ...
(Haaretz = anti-Israel Israeli paper)
www.haaretz.com/.../romney-slams-obama-public-diplomatic-...Share
1 day ago – In Jerusalem speech, it was Romney's voice but Netanyahu's words ...his Democratic rival during his speech in Jerusalem on Sunday, saying ...
Contrary to his promise not to criticize the U.S. president on foreign soil, Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney slammed his Democratic rival during his speech in Jerusalem on Sunday, saying public expressions of diplomatic distance is damaging to Israel.
"Diplomatic distance that is public and critical emboldens Israel's adversaries," said Romney, alluding to the Obama administration's stance on Israel.
Romney's speech followed a day spent meeting Israel's leaders on his official visit to the country. Joining the crowd was billionaire Sheldon Adelson, who has donated millions of dollars to Romney's campaign, and those of other Republicans.
Romney opened his speech by saying it was a "moving experience to be in Jerusalem," which he described as, "Israel's capital."
He went on to mention the U.S.-Israeli relationship, saying, "We serve the same cause and we have the same enemies. The security of Israel is a national security interest of the United States."
In Jerusalem speech, it was Romney's voice but Netanyahu's words
Netanyahu embraces Romney as no Israeli prime minister has ever before embraced a candidate running against an incumbent U.S. president.
Romney's staff picked the 150 guests carefully. Religious American immigrants dominated the crowd; secular Jews and native-born Israelis were few and far between. Those present included Jewish-American millionaires, settler leaders like the former chairman of the Yesha Council of settlements Israel Harel, and former Netanyahu aides such as Dore Gold, Naftali Bennett, Ayelet Shaked and Yoaz Hendel.
The full text is available for Haaretz subscribers.
Romney Comments on Palestinians Draw Criticism
By ASHLEY PARKER
3:12 p.m. | Updated JERUSALEM — Mitt Romney found himself on the defensive yet again on his overseas trip, this time after offending Palestinianleaders with comments he made at a breakfast fund-raiser here on Monday.
Speaking to roughly four dozen donors at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, Mr. Romney suggested that cultural differences between the Israelis and the Palestinians were the reason the Israelis were so much more economically successful than the Palestinians, without mentioning the impact that deep trade restrictions imposed by the Israeli government have had on the Palestinian economy. He also vastly understated the income disparities between the two groups.
“As you come here and you see the G.D.P. per capita, for instance, in Israel which is about $21,000, and compare that with the G.D.P. per capita just across the areas managed by the Palestinian Authority, which is more like $10,000 per capita, you notice such a dramatically stark difference in economic vitality,” he said.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Saeb Erekat, a senior aide to President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, called Mr. Romney’s remarks “racist.”
http://newamericamedia.org/2012/07/mitt-romneys-jerusalem-speech-panders-to-the-right-wing.php (pro-palestine, pro-Iran)
Mitt Romney’s Jerusalem Speech Panders to the Right-Wing
Supports Obama's frenemy israel policy? sharply at odds with current U.S. [anti-Israel pro-Palestine] policy toward the region.
Mr. Romney didn’t mention the Palestinians (although he later made an invidious comparison of Palestinians to Israelis that was deemed racist by Palestinian officials), nor did he offer any remarks on the settlements in the West Bank—arguably Israel’s most pressing problem. Indeed, he explicitly called for Americans not to engage in any criticism of Israel at all, since Israelis seemed to be capable of self-critique.
Apologizing for Iranian holocaust deniers?? He said, “When Iran’s leaders deny the Holocaust . . .” branding them as Holocaust deniers. Iran’s leaders, in fact, have never denied the Holocaust. To be sure, they have questioned its causes and results in ways that are inaccurate, but they never denied that it happened.
Supporting Iran's nuclear program? Mr. Romney hinted broadly that the United States would support a military strike against Iran. This would not be to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon as is current U.S. policy, but rather to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capacity. This is code for shutting down or destroying Iran’s entire nuclear development program.
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