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Subscribe to RSSPeace in the Middle East -- probably not going to happen, and it’s Palestinians’ fault, according to Mitt Romney.
That was the sentiment from the Republican nominee for president at a closed-door fundraiser, according to released excerpts of video from the left-leaning magazine Mother Jones. Romney painted Palestinians as “having no interest” in peace and “committed to the destruction of Israel.”
“I'm torn by two perspectives in this regard,” Romney said when asked how he thinks the “Palestinian problem can be solved.” “One is the one that I've had for some time which is that the Palestinians have no interest whatsoever in establishing peace, and that the pathway to peace is almost unthinkable to accomplish.”
This contradicts public comments from Romney that he believes in a "two-state solution." “I believe in a two-state solution which suggests there will be two states, including a Jewish state," he told the newspaper Haaretz.
Romney talks about the difficulty in establishing borders for an independent Palestine that would allow Israelis to thwart the flow of weapons from Iran to the region.
“We have got to keep the Iranians from bringing weaponry into the West Bank,” Romney said.
Related: Leaked video is the latest hit for Romney
He adds: “These are problems that are very hard to solve. And I look at the Palestinians not wanting to see peace anyway, for political purposes -- committed to the destruction and elimination of Israel. I just say there is no way, and so, what you do is you move things along the best way you can and hope for some degree of stability, but you recognize this is going to remain an unsolved problem.
Former Gov. John Sununu talks Mitt Romney's remarks saying his comments were "in response to a president who has decided to run a campaign on class warfare."
“The idea of pushing on the Israelis to give something up, to give the Palestinians to act is the worst thing in the world. We have done that time and time again. It does not work. The only answer is to show strength again, American strength, American resolve and the Palestinians someday reach a point where they want peace or that we are trying to force peace on them. That is worth having a discussion. But until then it's just a political thing.”
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Romney has been sharply critical of President Obama's handling of the Israeli-Palestinian relationship -- in particular, President Obama's urging Israel to halt settlement expansion.
American presidents have struggled for decades to broker peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Though the United States has provided Israel with military support and arms, it has traditionally maintained a role of neutrality when it comes to discussing the peace process.
This is not the first time Romney has found himself in the midst of controversy when it comes to Israeli-Palestinian issues.
Back in July, at a fundraiser during his overseas trip, Romney implied Palestinian “culture” was to blame for lower gross-domestic product in areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority versus Israel.
“Culture makes all the difference,” Romney said. “Culture makes all the difference.”
The Romney campaign did not immediately respond to an email request for response.
A full transcript of the exchange is below:
QUESTION: You were in Jerusalem. And we appreciate you being there. How do you think that the Palestinian problem can be solved? What are you going to do about it?
ROMNEY: “I'm torn by two perspectives in this regard. One is the one that I've had for some time which is that the Palestinians have no interest whatsoever in establishing peace, and that the pathway to peace is almost unthinkable to accomplish. Now why do I say that? Some might say because the Palestinians have West Bank and have security and have set up a separate nation for the Palestinians. And then come a couple of thorny questions. I don't have a map here to look at the geography. But the border between Israel and the West Bank is obviously right there right next to Tel Aviv, which is the financial capital the industrial capital of Israel the center of Israel.
It's what the border would be seven miles from Tel Aviv to what would the West Bank. Nine miles, okay I came close. Nine miles. The challenge is the other side of the West Bank, the other side of what would be this new Palestinian state would be Syria at one point or Jordan. Of course the Iranians would want to do through the West Bank exactly what they did to Lebanon what they did in Gaza, which is the Iranians would want to bring missile and armament into West bank and potentially threaten Israel.
So Israel of course would have to say that can't happen; we have got to keep the Iranians from bringing weaponry into the West Bank. Well that means who, the Israelis would patrol the border between Jordan, Syria, and this new Palestinian nation. Well the Palestinians would say no way we are an independent nation, you can't guard our border with other Arab nations. How about the airport? How about flying into this Palestinian nation? Are we going to allow military aircraft to come in and weaponry to come in, if not who is going to keep it from coming in? Well the Israelis. The Palestinians are going to say well we are not an independent nation if Israel is able to come in and tell us what to land in our airport.
These are problems that are very hard to solve. And I look at the Palestinians not wanting to see peace anyway, for political purposes. Committed to the destruction and elimination of Israel. [inaudible] I just say there is no way and so what you do is you move things along the best way you can and hope for some degree of stability but you recognize this is going to remain an unsolved problem.
The idea of pushing on the Israelis to give something up, to give the Palestinians to act is the worst thing in the world we have done that time and time again. It does not work. The only answer is to show strength again, American strength, American resolve and the Palestinians someday reach a point where they want peace or that we are trying to force peace on them. That is worth having a discussion. But until then it's just a political thing.
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Hey Romney! you call 47% of Americans slaves...who is your campaign advisor? now the women and the latinos and the blacks are mostly against you... and after your wise comment about the palestinians guess what you just lost my voteand most of the votes of the arab americans... i feel bad for your wife and sons for putting them through more humilation...you are too stupid to beat Obama..yes you have $250 millions in the bank but you came from wealth and it is not your own making....george bush jr was drunk most of his life and he is worth hundreds of millions too...keep saying stupid things and keep running for the next 30 yrs
Oh Iam sorry he needs to kiss up to the APAC and Jewish Lobby...yea right the Jews are that stupid! most of them vote for Obama any way...go play another game Romney!
Romney, the perfect president-Negative.Is there an issue that he can keep his mouth shut on since every time he opens it he puts his foot in it. Also who cares what he sleeps in. That's when he should have really kept quiet. God help us if that's all we have to offer from republicans!
As usual Romney couldnt be more wrong
http://www.soundvision.com/Info/politics/jewhistory.asp
take a look at history..
Anniversary of Another Massacre: Palestinians in camps of “Sabra and Shatila” and crocodile tears
Posted by: adonis49 on: September 17, 2012
Within an hour, hundreds of Palestinian civilians, babies, women, and elderly are slaughtered by machetes, knives, and hatchets. Palestinians and Lebanese within the camps, regardless of being Christians or Moslems, are killed while having supper. The militias cut off limbs of women to grab bracelets attached in their forearms before finishing off their victims. Babies’ skulls are smashed on walls. Women are raped before being killed. Nine Jewish women who married Palestinians long time ago were also killed.
During the night, delegations of Palestinians arrive at Israel’s headquarter to explain the situation and they are repulsed to the camps; most of the members of the delegations disappeared. A militia demands a stretcher for a few wounded companions and explains “We have finished off more than 250 dirty Palestinians”.
http://adonis49.wordpress.com/2012/09/17/anniversary-of-another-massacre-palestinians-in-camps-of-sabra-and-shatila-and-crocodile-tears/
http://www.aljazeera.com/mritems/Images/2011/12/10/2011121017309255360_9.jpg
Israeli solder kills unarmed Palistinian
Non-violent protests against West Bank barrier turn increasingly dangerous
Palestinian demonstrations intended to be peaceful met with Israeli teargas, stun grenades and sometimes live ammunition
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/27/israel-security-barrier-protests
What a SHAMEFUL, REPREHENSIBLE statement by Romney. It shows just how powerful the Zionists in this country have become and how bigoted this country is. REMINDER: THERE WILL BE NO PEACE UNTIL THERE IS JUSTICE FOR THE PALESTINIANS. So if you thought 9/11 was bad, just wait for the other shoe to drop ... paybacks are a real bitch.
Well we know Romney went after the jewish vote on that one.
I thought that Mitt was frightening on his domestic comments, but to hear this about foreign policy I am terrified!
The truth hurts.
Nope.. The stupidity hurts..
There are many problems that do not offer any readily available solutions. You do what you can. We are and willl be Israel's biggest ally and most of the Muslim world resents their presence. Additionally, we keep troops and ships there to protect the flow of oil. Arabs and Muslims resent it and they are going to resent it. Fighting two wars in their countries did not help either. It is just the way it is. It is ridiculous for either the President or the Republican candidate to talk about the others shortcomings in foreign policy as far as the mid east is concerned. Our policy is what it has always been. Sit on it and hope nothing happens, respond if it does and realize that Arabs in this country are Americans first just as every other race.
Who hates who does it really matter ????????????????????
The fact is they are both stubborn and hard headed , along with hating each other. Don't matter who is elected president, as they will only continue to fight with one another.
Bob, there really isn't hate, there is frustration. For over 60 years Palestine has been try to become a state as the original agreement was made by the UN in 1949. But the problem is that we give the Israeli's all the same weapons we have and they dominate the Palestinians. They steal there water and land. They kill the Palestinians everyday and kick them out of there homes. There are almost no christian Palestinians left in Jerusalem. Jews and Palestinians lived in peace until 1949. I know because I"m a Jew with a Palestinian son-in-law. Netanyhoo demanded that Obama attack Iran. He said on American news that we need to elect a war time president but he doesn't want to interfere with our politics. He went on to say Romney would be a better choice. Romney goes to see Netanyhoo in Israel all the time. Is he for America or Israel? War will break us because every Muslim country would come after us and believe me we will lose. China and Russia are just waiting to take over. Don't be stupid, lets make the Arabs know that we are not against them.
Mitt the consummate diplomat. Gee I was just talking with my fellow Masters of the Universe and I was just never apologizing about nothing, who would have thought someone could record me not giving a damn about anything but money.GEE.......I wish I could get a drink.......Just kidding Lord.
Another want a be mutt wants to stick his paw in the sand-rat pie==coyote
Finally - a candidate who tells it like it is!
Tofu Romney takes on the flavor of what is close to him, "two state solution" oh no that will not happen, yes it will, no it can't.
Yep, lets get the check book out and send Israel a few more billion, god are we in the sh&t with this man...we all should be afraid, really afraid.
lol...in other news water is wet. I know it's a newslflash, but THEY ALL HATE ISRAEL! ZOMG! what did Romney say?! Gasp!
Romney could pit Romeo against Juliet in under three minutes.
what a buffoon, he's making it up as he goes
Romney is a christmas miracle for obama!!!
I think it's great that Romney is speaking his mind. An honest politician (to an extent)
HAHAHAHAHAHA yeah "honesty" behind closed doors....
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Eat your heart out Israeli's, Obama is going to win and then see what happens to you. Remember when he told Putin that he will be able to do more if he is re-elected? So sad to see Israel fall Ha Ha Ha.
LMAO..is this Mitt the Twitt knowledge on foreign policy???
Willard..the world is bigger then you think!
Ok,
a guy who parked his money offshore to steal from taxpayers,
a guy who left the hard working americans out on the street so that he could make "vulture" money
a guy who said the very poor is not his freaking concern,
a guy, probably cheated in his tax returns
says isreal is right in its conflictwith palestinians.......
I think its really a compliment for palestinian cause...
Just keep talking Mitt, you're only losing the election quicker and quicker...
If Mr. Romney believes peace between Palestinians and Israelis is "almost unthinkable," then he is not prepared to think of any strategies for bringing about that peace. We know from the classroom that when students think they can't do an assignment, they usually don't do it successfully. Mr. Romney has given up before he begins. We'd better count on somebody else (Obama) to tackle this job.
Mormons do believe that they get their own planet as part of their afterlife. After listening to Mitt Romney's remarks to the GOP contributors, I'm sure he's planning to "head up Uranus".
Excuse us Romney but it's Israel that doesn't want peace. Time and time again when a peace accord is at hand Israel does something to sink it. They keep building on Palestinian territory and taking their land foot by foot. After all this is ALL of the Palestinians land to begin with. No we will not go to War with Iran for Israel.
He's right!!! Plain and simple. The entire region will always be unrest between each or some middle eastern countries.