Romney: Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Will 'Remain an Unsolved Problem'
While most have focused on the "47 percent" comments from Mitt Romney's leaked fundraiser video, the full footage released today includes some very blunt words about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In the video, Mitt Romney says that the conflict will "remain an unsolved problem," because the Palestinians are "committed to the destruction and elimination of Israel."
I look at the Palestinians not wanting to see peace anyway, for political purposes, committed to the destruction and elimination of Israel, and these thorny issues, and I say there's just no way.
These comments undercut Romney's ability to say he has any sort of solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — and to criticize Obama's policy, as former U.S. deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage pointed out.
Romney characterizes the conflict as inevitable, and he likens the U.S. government's role to "kick[ing] the ball down the field."
You hope for some degree of stability, but you recognize that this is going to remain an unsolved problem. And we kick the ball down the field and hope that ultimately, somehow, something will happen and resolve it.
He also seems somewhat disinterested in solutions, noting that when a former U.S. secretary of state told him about the possibility of a settlement after Palestinian elections, Romney's response was, "Really?" The secretary of state said, "Yes, I think there's some prospect," but Romney "didn't delve into it."
Palestinian Liberation Organization representative Ambassador Maen Rashid Areikat condemned Romney's "complete ignorance of facts and realities."
Romney's allegations that Palestinians are committed to the destruction of Israel are baseless given the fact that Palestinians have expressed support for the two-state solution, and repeatedly recognized Israel's right to exist. The best way the Republican nominee can help in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is by adhering to long-standing U.S. policy regarding an acceptable solution that will lead to the end of military occupation of Palestine, peace, and security.
The White House has said that Romney's perspective is the "wrong approach," and that President Obama will continue to work toward a peaceful resolution.