The statements of Mitt Romney, the US presidential Republican candidate, during his visit to Israel, stir a certain level of pity for the man more than actual criticism of his positions. He seemed to be begging for the votes of the Jewish American voters in front of Benjamin Netanyahu. He was being more conservative than Netanyahu himself with respect to Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and Iran, and Israel’s right to deal a military blow to Iran if necessary. In addition to the begging, he seemed to be completely ignorant of the conflict’s realities and history. He also disregarded the fact that many candidates, the last of which was George Bush, had preceded him into making promises to acknowledge Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and transferring the American embassy to Jerusalem. However, the other American relations with some major countries in the region such as Saudi Arabia prevented the implementation of that electoral promise. The reason is that Jerusalem represents an important religious symbol and it would not be an easy thing for the American Administration to confront all the Muslims. In addition, the Christian references there are also refusing to acknowledge the Israeli occupation in Jerusalem.
As for Romney’s position concerning the Iranian nuclear issue, this has stirred criticism within the US itself because, traditionally, external platforms are not to be used to criticize the American president by his competitor. Romney’s support of the preemptive military strike against Iran as an alternative for the politics of increased sanctions followed by the Obama Administration seemed to constitute a laughingstock for the Israelis themselves. Shaul Mofaz, the former defense minister and the current leader of the opposing Kadima party, responded by warning that a blow against Iran will result in a disaster for Israel. Mofaz added that the Israeli officials must be asking themselves two questions before staging this action. First, will this blow lead to a strategic change in the Iranian politics? The answer is, of course not. Second, will a military attack against Iran lead to a war in the region? And the answer is, definitely. This is the reason why Mofaz defended the politics of the sanctions and the military containment, especially in light of the mystery surrounding the progress of the Iranian nuclear program.
Yesterday, Mitt Romney proved that his stupidity is only matched by his arrogance when he considered – through a speech he made on the occasion of a fundraising activity for his campaign – that the reason for the Israeli economic success in comparison with the Palestinian economy firstly consists of “divine providence” followed by “the ability of the Jewish people to be creative in the face of the challenges.” Surprisingly, Romney made these statements one day after his meeting with the head of the Palestinian cabinet, Salam Fayad, who must have explained to him that his cabinet strives on the grants and donations of the donor countries because the land where this cabinet “rules” is subjected to the Israeli occupation, which is the main reason for the Palestinian economic, humanitarian and also political tragedies.
This is indeed the season for begging for the Jewish American votes. This time four years ago, Barack Obama was launching his campaign in Israel in preparation of the conference of the Democratic Party prior to the elections. However, Mitt Romney’s statements not only reveal his stupidity and the shallowness of the politicians in his party – they had nominated Sarah Palin for vice president during the last elections – but it also adversely affects his country’s interests and role in the region. His statements also raise the level of the fears from the Iranian nuclear power to an extent that the Iranians actually desire without being based on any facts. In addition, these statements stir a lot of concern over the fate of our region and the world in the upcoming years if this man were allowed to access the White House, God forbid!
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