Mitt Romney’s Leaked Videos: Comments On Palestine And Israel Draw Ire

Apart from dismissing President Barack Obama’s supporters, the recently released videos of Republican candidate Mitt Romney also show him making remarks that Palestinians are committed to Israel’s destruction.

At the fundraising event he told donors the Middle East will "remain an unsolved problem... and we kick the ball down the field".  The video also shows Romney saying that "the Palestinians have no interest whatsoever in establishing peace."

However, Chief Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erekat said that Romney was wrong to accuse the Palestinians of not seeking peace. "Only those who want to maintain the Israeli occupation will claim the Palestinians are not interested in peace," he said.

The comments by Mitt Romney about Palestine and their dreams of destruction about Israel were also condemned by Yousef Munayyer, the executive director of The Palestine Center in Washington who tweeted:

Pretend to care about peace, kick the can down the road, never pressure Israel. Romney just described what already is US policy on Palestine

— Yousef Munayyer (@YousefMunayyer) September 18, 2012

Another Palestinian citizen, Ahmed Shihab-Eldin tweeted:

I would go so far as to say #Romney's latest comments on Palestinians is as offensive as his cultural superiority argument on #Israel

— Ahmed Shihab-Eldin (@ASE) September 18, 2012

Apart from the tweets made, Romney’s comments also faced immense criticism on grounds that even before making an attempt to introduce any peace reforms in the Middle East, he has behaved in a manner which is extremely submissive and surrendering. Keeping in mind that Romney has always been at good terms with the rather intransigent Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who also helped him raise money for the campaign; this wasn’t surprising. The tone of the comments was surprising similar to that of an Israeli spokesperson.

 Mitt Romney’s unguarded and undiplomatic remarks reinforce the perception that he is an amateur in the art of foreign affairs. Less than 50 days away from polling day, no candidate wants to be refocusing their campaign amid a barrage of stories about diplomatic gaffes.