The Muslim News
Israel: Romney hails Jerusalem as Israeli capital, slams Iran
30-07-2012
US presidential candidate Mitt Romney has suggested the United States
could move its embassy to the "capital" Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, a
controversial move.
He also attacked Iran and pledged US support for Israel. Romney said
he recognized Israel's right to defend itself against Iran and insisted
that stopping Iran from becoming a nuclear power "must be our highest
national security goal."
"Israel faces an enemy who denies past crimes and seeks to commit
new ones," he said on Sunday in Israel, where he met Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu and other leaders.
"Make no mistake, the ayatollahs in Iran are testing our moral
defenses. They want to know who will object and who will look the other
way. We will not look away, nor will our country ever look away from our
passion and commitment to Israel," he said in a speech delivered on a
rooftop overlooking Jerusalem's Old City.
He stopped short, however, of fully endorsing recent comments by one
of his policy advisers who had declared that the United States "would
respect" an Israeli decision to launch a unilateral strike on Iran's
nuclear facilities.
Jerusalem 'capital' of Israel Romney also called Jerusalem the
capital of Israel and suggested that, if elected in November, he would
consider moving the U.S. embassy there from Tel Aviv. The move is highly
controversial as both Israelis and Palestinians claim the holy city as
their capital. The issue has been a major diplomatic headache for the
Americans, who have refused to make the shift because it would imply the
sanctioning of Israel's incorporation of Arab East Jerusalem after its
capture in the 1967 war.
Romney made it very clear that criticizing Israel was not part of
his policy by saying that it was a "basic truth" that the United States
and Israel would always stand together.
The presidential hopeful also met other Israeli officials, as well as acting Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.
He visited the Wailing Wall, a Jewish holy site, where he placed a paper with a prayer between its ancient stones.
On Monday, Romney is scheduled to hold a fundraiser in Jerusalem before leaving for Poland.
Meanwhile, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat was outraged by
Romney's comments about Jerusalem. He told the AFP news agency that
"Romney's declarations are harmful to American interests in our region,
and they harm peace, security and stability."
"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.
ng/tm (AP, Reuters, AFP)
http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,16130572,00.html
By Gideon Rachman
