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Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Israel: Obama campaign slams Romeny

Jerusalem Post

Obama casts Romney doubts over 'blunders' abroad

By HILARY LEILA KRIEGER, JPOST CORRESPONDT
08/01/2012 02:42

US president's campaign slams Romney for comments on Jerusalem and West Bank economy that angered Palestinians.

WASHINGTON – The Obama campaign tried on Tuesday to paint presumptive Republican candidate Mitt Romney as unprepared for the White House by highlighting perceived gaffes in Israel and on other stops of his foreign tour.

“Any candidate running for president has to pass the basic gut check as the commander-in-chief, and this trip cast serious doubt on whether Romney has the ability to handle that critical element of the job,” argued Colin Kahl, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East for President Barack Obama, on a conference call with reporters.

Read it at the JPost:
http://www.jpost.com/USPresidentialrace/Article.aspx?id=279603

Israel: Obama orders new Iranian sanctions

Haaretz

Obama orders new sanctions on Iran energy, financial sectors

U.S. president says U.S. is committed 'to hold the Iranian government accountable for its actions.'

By Natasha Mozgovaya and Reuters

President Barack Obama announced new U.S. sanctions on Tuesday against foreign banks that help Iran sell its oil, efforts that he said would increase pressure on Tehran for failing to meet its international nuclear obligations. 

Obama's decision, in an executive order, came ahead of congressional votes on new sanctions intended to further strip Iran of its oil-related revenues. It also followed criticism from Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney that the White House is failing to act strongly enough to stop Iran's suspected pursuit of a nuclear weapon. 

Saudi Arabia: Romney's no rock star

Arab News

Linda Heard
Tuesday 31 July 2012

US presidential hopeful Mitt Romney may be big with the Salt Lake City crowd but he’s clearly out of his depth away from his rah-rah followers. Tall, tanned and suited with the kind of finesse only money can buy, he certainly looks the part. But as my father always used to say, "don’t judge a man by the cut of his cloth." His problem is what comes out of his mouth — and what doesn’t. No wonder his campaign managers have been at their wits' end trying to reestablish what little credibility he has with American voters following his faux pas-strewn visits to the UK and Israel eliciting less than flattering headlines. They’ve got their work cut-out. The Obama camp is doing its best to paint Romney as an embarrassment, a man unfit to lead. When one remembers the rock-star-type adulation Obama received during his visits to Europe in the run-up to his inauguration — even if it turned out to be mostly undeserved given Obama’s backbone doesn’t match up to his rhetoric — they may have a point.
Read it at Arab News:
http://www.arabnews.com/romney%E2%80%99s-no-rock-star

Germany: Romney flops

Der Spiegel

Tour de Gaffes Romney Flops in Europe


He's only been abroad for a week, but the Palestinians are accusing him of racism, the Brits are annoyed and Polish union leaders don't like him. Mitt Romney's trip to Europe and the Middle East has been marred by one fumble after the next.

A Difficult Trip
 
It was telling that Romney's spokeswoman, Andrea Sail, was on the defensive right from the start of the trip. At one point she said his words had been "grossly mischaracterized," and at another she denied them completely, saying they were "not true". By Tuesday, his staff was so frustrated that one spokesperson told reporters with the American press corps to "shove it" after they tried to ask questions about his myriad missteps.

First Romney took a swipe at the British, questioning their preparations for the Olympic Games and their enthusiasm. Then, in Jerusalem, he directly compared Israeli gross domestic product to Palestinian per capita GDP, attributing the Israeli's economic vitality to their culture, while at the same time ignoring the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. On Monday, Romney's trip continued to Poland, where the left-leaning national daily Gazeta Wyborcza asked: "Will there be further blunders?"

Read it at Der Spiegel:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/missteps-abound-during-mitt-romney-s-europe-trip-a-847421.html

Germany: Romney trip comes to an end

 DW Akademie

Rocky European trip comes to an end for Romney

American presidential candidate Mitt Romney has completed the final stop of his foreign tour in Poland. Romney's three-country trip will likely be remembered for reasons he'd rather forget. 

Hoping to increase his foreign policy credentials during the trip, Romeny delivered a speech in Warsaw on Tuesday and told the Polish audience not to listen to "the false promise of a government-dominated economy." That's a theme he has stuck to in the US to distance himself from what he considers President Barack Obama's policy of expanding government into the economy.

Romney praised Poland as an example of small government and free enterprise.

His comments in Poland wrapped up a tour of over a week that took Romney to the UK and Israel as well. At each stop, small gaffes caused unwatned headaches for Obama's Republican challenger.

http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,16132832,00.html

Africa: Solidarity distances self from Romney despite Walesa's support

Reuters Africa

Polish Solidarity distances self from Romney visit

By Steve Holland

GDANSK, Poland (Reuters) - Solidarity, the trade union movement which led the Polish struggle against Communist rule, distanced itself on Monday from a visit to Poland by U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney, saying he supported attacks on unions in his own country.

Read it at Reuters Africa:   http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFBRE86T0WA20120730

 

 

 

Canada: Romney wraps up trip by swiping Russia

The Globe and Mail

Romney wraps up gaffe-prone tour with swipe at Russia

Warsaw — Agence France-Presse

White House contender Mitt Romney wrapped up a gaffe-prone tour in Poland Tuesday with a swipe about the state of freedom in Russia – and a fresh blunder by an aide who told journalists to “kiss my ass.”

On his first visit behind the old Iron Curtain, the Republican nominee vowed his commitment to close ties with Poland, which still has a testy relationship with Moscow more than two decades after the fall of communism.

Read it at The Globe and Mail:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/us-election/romney-wraps-up-gaffe-prone-tour-with-swipe-at-russia/article4451799/?cmpid=rss1

France: Romney riles Poland trade unions

France 24

Romney riles Solidarity union on Poland visit


US presidential candidate Mitt Romney ran into hot water again on his embattled foreign policy tour, after historic trade union Solidarity accused him of backing attacks on unions in his own country.

Read it at France 24: 
http://www.france24.com/en/20120731-usa-republican-presidential-candidate-romney-riles-trade-unions-poland-visit-foreign-policy

UK: Poland's Solidarity joins China in Romney citicism

The London Evening Standard
 
Now Poland's Solidarity and China blast Romney


By Joe Murphy

Mitt Romney's tour met more controversy today as he clashed with the Solidarity trade union in Poland and was criticised by the Chinese for remarks made earlier in Israel.

The Republican presidential hopeful was preparing a speech on security and foreign policy which his supporters hope will bring his first major overseas visit to a successful conclusion after a gaffe-strewn start.
However, the former Massachusetts governor seemed unable to escape accusations of clumsiness. China seized on his statement that Jerusalem was the capital of Israel as “hawkish” and insensitive, saying that it ignored Palestinian claims to the eastern sector of the ancient city, which is holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians. Mr Romney was accused of racist comments after another row in which he claimed cultural differences explained why Israel’s economy was more successful than the Palestinian economy.


Read it at The Evening Standard:
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/now-polands-solidarity-and-china-blast-romney-7994406.html

Not his best week....

As seen on http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Mitt-Romneys-European-Vacation.png

http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Mitt-Romneys-European-Vacation.png

Poland: Romney aide insults reporters

Polskie Radio

Romney press aid insults reporters in Warsaw

31.07.2012 14:35
Mitt Romney’s aid told reporters to “kiss my ass” after they repeatedly asked the presidential candidate to answer questions in Warsaw, Tuesday.
 
As Romney walked away from laying a wreath at the Tomb to the Unknown Soldier with Warsaw president, Hanna Gronkiewicz-Walz, in the centre of Warsaw, foreign reporters called out to Barack Obama’s rival in the November presidential elections, asking him, among other questions, about the series of “gaffes” which plagued the Republican in the first leg of his trip in London.

After more attempts from reporters to have their questions answered, the former Massachusetts governor’s press secretary, Rick Gorka, appeared to lose his cool, shouting at the journalists: “Kiss my ass. This is a Holy site for the Polish people. Show some respect," CNN reports.

 

UK: Romney travels like Bush without the cospotolitan flair

PJ:  Important to note that The Economist is a very conservative publication. 

The Economist
Mitt Romney abroad

Like Bush, but without the cosmopolitan flair

GEORGE W. BUSH was never much of a CEO, and I'm beginning to think that was part of the reason why he was a pretty good politician. Mitt Romney, by all accounts, was a killer CEO; his campaign so far has been lacklustre, and his first trip abroad has been a bit of a horn-honking, floppy-shoed clown show. After spending several days getting flayed by the British press for insulting the country's handling of the Olympic games, he moved on to Israel, where his campaign promptly involved itself in a diplomatic scandal (this time with actual consequences) over whether it had said that Mr Romney would back a unilateral Israeli strike on Iran. Mr Romney went on to declare Jerusalem the capital of Israel, a position no American administration has ever taken because discussions over the final status of the city are the most explosive subject in Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. Then this morning, at a fund-raising breakfast largely populated by ultra-rich Jewish Americans, Mr Romney managed to suggest that Palestinians are poor because their culture is inferior to that of Jews.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2012/07/mitt-romney-abroad

UK: Romney uses GOP tool and blames the media for his failing overseas

The Guardian

Romney campaign attacks media after fumbling overseas trip - US politics live

LiveMitt Romney and his staff lash out at US media coverage of his inept, error-strewn overseas trip – live coverage here  http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/31/mitt-romney-attack-media-live

Mitt Romney in Downing Street
Mitt Romney – seen here talking to the media – complains that US media coverage of his overseas trip has focused on his gaffes. Photograph: Jason Reed/Reuters
 
 

UK: A return to George W. Bush foreign policy?

Financial Times
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If you liked George W. Bush, you’ll love Mitt Romney

The trouble is that the implication of his argument is a promise to return to the Manichean world view of George W. Bush – in which nations are divided firmly into friends and enemies of the US and policy is set accordingly.

Mr Romney has already called Russia, America’s “number one geopolitical foe”, and promised to designate China a “currency manipulator” on his first day in office – a move that could be a prelude to trade sanctions. In Israel, over the weekend, he came close to encouraging an attack on Iran.

                                                                                *

The trouble is that campaign rhetoric cannot all be wiped away, like an Etch A Sketch, the moment that the candidate wins the White House. Mr Romney is currently staking out positions that would pursue him into office – to the detriment of America and the world.

Please register then read the article at The Financial Times:
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/33c08e06-d802-11e1-9980-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2295IpG8L

Israel: On the heels of Romney's visit, Barak endorses Obama

Jerusalem Post

Barak endorses Barack, touts US security support

07/31/2012 14:12

Defense minister says Obama most supportive president of Israeli security; Panetta to arrive to press Israel to give sanctions time.

In what appears like a clear endorsement of a presidential candidate, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Monday night that Barack Obama has been the most supportive president on matters of Israeli security throughout the two countries' diplomatic relations.

In an interview aired late Monday night on CNN, Barak told Wolf Blitzer that the Obama administration’s support of Israeli defense and intelligence establishments was far greater than under any other administration he remembered working with since and including President Jimmy Carter.
"I think that from my point of view as defense minister they are extremely good, extremely deep and profound. I can see long years [and] administrations of both sides of [the] political aisle deeply supporting the state of Israeli [sic] and I believe that reflects a profound feeling among the American people," Barak said.
"But I should tell you honestly that this administration under President Obama is doing, in regard to our security, more than anything that I can remember in the past,” he added
Read it at JPost:
http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=279521

Israel: Iran reacts to Romney's Israel visit

Haaretz

After Romney's visit, Ahmadinejad slams U.S. Republican for 'kissing Israel's foot'

Ahmadinejad did not specifically name Romney, but his comments were an unmistakable jab at the Republican contender's stop this week in Israel.

By The Associated Press
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is calling a visit to Israel by U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney as "kissing the foot" of the Jewish state to boost his bid for the White House. 

Ahmadinejad did not specifically name Romney, but his comments were an unmistakable jab at the Republican contender's stop this week in Israel. Romney strongly backed Israel's drive to stop Iran from possibly seeking nuclear weapons. Tehran denies the claims. 

Ahmadinejad questioned why Romney would make "concessions to get some pennies for [his] campaign?" The Iranian president made the comments during a speech Tuesday broadcast on state TV. 

Also on Tuesday, China critisized Romney s statement that Jerusalem was the capital of Israel, saying the remark could worsen an already tense Middle East situation, or even re-ignite a war between Palestinians and Israelis.

Read it at Haaretz:
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/after-romney-s-visit-ahmadinejad-slams-u-s-republican-for-kissing-israel-s-foot-1.454965

Romney's "Offend the World megatour"

New York Magazine

Mitt Romney Adviser to Press: ‘Kiss My Ass ... Shove It’
Mitt Romney's Offend the World megatour continued in Poland today, where the gaffe outbreak is apparently now contagious. Fresh off putdowns of the British and Palestinians, Romney aide Rick Gorka chipped in today by giving the press a lashing for ... asking about all of the gaffes abroad. While leaving the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw, reporters from CNN and the New York Times sent some questions in Romney's direction, causing Gorka to snap, "Have some respect." When a journalist noted, "We haven't had another chance to ask a question ... " Gorka shot back, "Kiss my ass. This is a holy site for the Polish people. Show some respect." Then he told a Politico reporter to "Shove it."

CNN has a full transcript of the testy exchange, which included the press complaining that Romney has only taken three questions throughout his entire trip, all of which were at 10 Downing Street in London last Thursday. Yesterday on her blog, Greta Van Susteren wrote, "There has been no press access to Governor Romney since we landed in Poland. We (press) are in a holding pattern (I can’t help but feel a bit like the press is a modified petting zoo since we are trapped in a bus while Polish citizens take pictures of us.)"

Read it at New York Magazine: 
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/07/romney-adviser-rick-gorka-poland-kiss-my-ass-shove-it.html

Canada: Romney looks to Poland to save overseas trip

Vancouver Sun

In Warsaw, Romney pointing to ties between US and Poland and a shared skepticism over Russia


Romney's visit to Poland has not been without controversy.

Campaign officials said the visit to Poland came at the invitation of Walesa, but the current leadership of Solidarity distanced itself from the event and issued a statement critical of Romney on Monday.

Solidarity characterized Romney as being hostile to unions and against labour rights. It emphasized that it had no role in organizing Romney's visit and expressed support for American labour organizations.


Read it at The Vancouver Sun:
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/After+stumbles+Romney+looks+Poland+final+chance+project+world/7014873/story.html

Latin American News: Walesa embraces Romney as "Solidarity" distances itself

Terra News

Polish Solidarity distances self from Romney visit

Solidarity, the trade union movement which led the Polish struggle against Communist rule, distanced itself on Monday from a visit to Poland by U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney, saying he supported attacks on unions in his own country.

Romney was in Poland on the third and final leg of a foreign tour aimed at burnishing his foreign policy credentials and demonstrating that he would be a viable alternative to U.S. President Barack Obama on the world stage.

Romney visited the Baltic port of Gdansk, cradle of Solidarity which toppled Poland's Communist government in the late 1980s, where he met Lech Walesa, the shipyard electrician who led the union movement during that struggle.

"Regretfully, we were informed by our friends from the American headquarters of (trade union federation) AFL-CIO, which represents more than 12 million employees ... that Mitt Romney supported attacks on trade unions and employees' rights," Solidarity said in a statement.
"Solidarity was not involved in organizing Romney's meeting with Walesa and did not invite him to visit Poland."

                                                                                    *
"The relationship that our countries have is very important and it would be a high priority in a Romney administration," said a senior Romney campaign adviser.

However, it may prove difficult in Poland for Romney to draw a sharp contrast with his Democratic rival in the presidential election because Polish leaders enjoy fairly strong ties with the Obama White House.

Walesa ended his association with the Solidarity movement several years ago following disputes over policy.
Solidarity is still known abroad because of its historic role in the collapse of Communism and the fall of the Berlin Wall. At home, it is now closely linked with Poland's biggest opposition party, which promotes conservative social values.
 
Read it at Terra News:
http://news.terra.com/polish-solidarity-distances-self-from-romney-visit,8a1629addd8d8310VgnVCM3000009acceb0aRCRD.html

Australia: Romney's trip stirs controversy

The Sydney Morning Herald

Romney asks Poles for solidarity with US

While foreign affairs dominated Romney's overseas tour, the presidential race hinges on which candidate voters decide will best spur growth in the struggling US economy. The election is expected to be decided by one of the narrowest margins in recent history.

In the final full day of the overseas trip, the strain was showing on the Romney camp after the massive attention paid to Romney's insult of Britain over its preparation for the London Olympic Games and the anger he caused among Palestinians during his visit to Israel.

At one point on Tuesday, Romney's travelling press secretary Rick Gorka said "shove it" when asked why Romney has taken just three questions from American reporters during the trip.

That happened after Romney ignored shouted questions from reporters about his comments attributing Israel's strong economy to Jewish culture, with no mention of Israel's harsh restrictions on the Palestinians.
Those comments drew criticism from China. The country's state-run Xinhua news agency said Romney's "hawkish remarks" could worsen an already tense Middle East situation or even reignite a war between Palestinians and Israelis.

Romney's two-day trip to Poland was aimed at Polish-American and Catholic voters in the US and highlighted Romney's stance towards Russia. He has labelled Moscow as America's "No. 1 geopolitical foe", a characterisation that is not unwelcome in a country that still fears Russia.

Read it at The Sydney Morning Herald:
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/romney-asks-poles-for-solidarity-with-us-20120731-23dae.html

China: Romney's 'dangerous' comments

Xinhua

Romney's dangerous statement should be watched out

BEIJING, July 31 (Xinhua) -- U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney's statement that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel is likely to worsen the already tense Mideast situation, and even reignite a war between Palestinians and Israelis.

Romney told the CNN on Sunday that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and he thought the U.S. embassy should be moved to Jerusalem from the current location in the city of Tel Aviv.
The U.S. presidential hopeful's dangerous words should be carefully watched out.

Jerusalem is a holy city to the three major Abrahamic religions -- Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and its future status has always been a critical issue in the current stagnant Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, as they both declared Jerusalem to be their own capital.

The status of Jerusalem is highly sensitive, which involves the religious sentiments and dignity of most Arab people. Until now, all the nations that have established diplomatic relations with Israel have set up their embassies in Tel Aviv or other cities, instead of in Jerusalem, due to the later's uncertain status.

Recently Romney has delivered a series of hawkish remarks. For example, he pledged to "employ any and all measures to dissuade the Iranian regime from its nuclear course," and he also said the United States would never look away from its "passion and commitment to Israel."

Romney's remarks totally neglect historical facts and are actually irresponsible if he just meant to appeal to voters at home.

Read it at Xinhuan:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/indepth/2012-07/31/c_131750446.htm

Romney's overseas adventure: A View from America

New York Daily News

Now misstepping Mitt to twit Vladimir Putin in Poland visit

Romney to give "value of liberty" speech targeting Russian leader and his rollback of democratic reforms. Mitt gets thumbs up from Lech Walesa, but Solidarity union he once led says ex-chief speaks only for himself in backing union foe

Comments (8)
He's angered the Brits, infuriated the Palestinians, and now he’s going after the Russians.
Globe-trotting GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney was expected Tuesday to deliver a Cold War-type smackdown of the Russkies — and, by extension, President Obama — with a “value of liberty” speech at Warsaw University.
Romney is expected to attack Russian leader Vladimir Putin for rolling back Democratic reforms — and delicately suggest that Obama is leaving a key ally like Poland in the lurch, though the U.S. is rolling out a permanent military detachment in Poland.
Romney’s remarks, while delivered in Poland, are actually aimed at impressing Polish-American voters back home in key swing states, like Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio, that he needs to win in November. People of eastern European descent tend to support the GOP because of Ronald Reagan’s legacy.
In those states, as in Warsaw, there is deep suspicion of Poland’s longtime Russian enemy — and with the Obama administration’s attempts to “reset” the U.S. relationship with Moscow. Romney has called Russia America’s “No. 1 geopolitical foe.”




Read it at The New York Daily News:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/election-2012/misstepping-mitt-twit-vladimir-putin-poland-visit-article-1.1125324

Germany: Romney's mixed reception in Poland

Europe Online Magazine

3RD LEAD: Walesa praises Romney in Poland, crowd chants for Obama By Dominika Maslikowski, dpa Eds: updates with visits to monuments

By Dominika Maslikowski

Warsaw (dpa) - US presidential hopeful Mitt Romney was greeted by a pro-Obama crowd in Poland Monday, but was praised by anti-communist icon Lech Walesa during the last stop of a foreign tour aimed at showcasing his foreign policy.

Read it at Europe Online:
http://en.europeonline-magazine.eu/3rd-lead-walesa-praises-romney-in-poland-crowd-chants-for-obamaby-dominika-maslikowski-dpaeds-updates-with-visits-to-monuments_225876.html

UK: Romney stirs Solidarity, won't answer questions from media

BBC

Mitt Romney Poland visit stirs Solidarity

Former Polish President Lech Walesa meets US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney  
Mitt Romney went to the Gdansk shipyard, the heart of Poland's trade union movement
 

Start Quote

Mr Romney won't answer any questions and even his press team finds it difficult to respond to the most basic inquiries about what their candidate has said”
The former Massachusetts governor's tour is intended to drum up support and increase his profile globally as he faces incumbent President Barack Obama in November's presidential elections.
Mr Romney was met in Gdansk by Mr Walesa - Solidarity's first leader and Poland's first democratically-elected president - and by Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

"He's very open, and brimming with values, his wife is always by his side, he's got five kids -- we're very much alike, I really like him and am pleased we met," Mr Walesa told reporters.

But the trade union movement, which originated in Gdansk and toppled Poland's communist regime in the late 1980s, said it had nothing to do with Mr Romney's trip to the city.

"Regretfully, we were informed by our friends from the American headquarters of AFL-CIO (trade union in the US), which represents more than 12 million employees... that Mitt Romney supported attacks on trade unions and employees' rights," Solidarity said in a statement.

Mr Walesa and Solidarity have not seen eye to eye for some years.

See report at the BBC:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19052292

Canada: Latest Romney campaign debacle: press secretary tells reporter to 'shove it'

Toronto Star

‘Shove it,’ Mitt Romney’s press aide tells reporters as candidate arrives in Poland

The Republican presidential candidate, who has largely avoided the media during the three-country trip, refused to publicly discuss the criticism today, with aides shutting down questions shouted by journalists as Romney visited a military memorial in Warsaw this morning.

“Shove it,” press aide Rick Gorka told a reporter.

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1234534---shove-it-mitt-romney-s-press-aide-tells-reporters-as-candidate-arrives-in-poland

Monday, July 30, 2012

Israel defense minister praises Obama

CNN

Ehud Barak sings praises of Obama administration

(CNN) – Israel's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Ehud Barak said the Obama White House has been the most supportive administration throughout the two countries' diplomatic relations on matters of Israeli security, in an interview to air Monday on "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer."

See the report on CNN:
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/30/ehud-barak-sings-praises-of-obama-administration/

Poland: Romney hoping Polish leg goes smoothly

Polskie Radio

Mitt Romney arrives in Gdansk

30.07.2012 17:56
Prime Minister Donald Tusk greeted US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in Gdansk, Monday afternoon, at the start of a two-day visit to Poland.

The Republican politician will be counting on the Poland leg of his trip going more smoothly than what was perceived in the British media to be a disastrous visit to London, where his criticisms of preparations for the 2012 Olympics drew a dismissive response from UK prime minister David Cameron and London mayor, Boris Johnson, both centre-right politicians that Romney would usually count as political allies.
While in Israel on Sunday, during the second leg of the tour, Palestinians accused him of undermining peace prospects after Romney called Jerusalem "the capital of Israel", ignoring their own claims to the city.
Even in Poland, as Romney was chatting to locals outside Gdansk Town Hall on Monday afternoon, a small crowd of protesters chanted “Obama, Obama”.
http://www.thenews.pl/1/10/Artykul/107489,Mitt-Romney-arrives-in-Gdansk

UK: Romney speech expected to rekindle cold war

The Guardian

Mitt Romney to rekindle cold war spirit with speech in Poland attacking Russia

After gaffe-strewn UK visit and controversial remarks in Israel, US presidential hopeful turns to symbol of anti-Soviet triumph
The speech on the "values of liberty" at Warsaw University on Tuesday is expected to seek to rekindle the flames of US cold war righteousness by featuring a strong attack on Russia and President Vladimir Putin's rollback of democratic gains, while also criticising the US president, Barack Obama, for allegedly sacrificing the interests and security of central European democracy in favour of realpolitik with the Kremlin.
Romney has previously described Russia as America's "No 1 geopolitical foe", in contrast with Obama, who has sought to press "the reset button" in relations with Moscow.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/30/mitt-romney-speech-poland-russia

Canada: Polish trade union movement Solidarity distances itself from Romney

Reuters Canada

Polish Solidarity distances itself from Romney visit

By Steve Holland


GDANSK, Poland (Reuters) - Solidarity, the trade union movement which led the Polish struggle against communist rule, distanced itself on Monday from a visit to Poland by U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney, saying he supported attacks on unions in his own country.

Romney was in Poland on the third and final leg of a tour aimed at burnishing his foreign policy credentials and demonstrating that he would be a viable alternative to President Barack Obama on the world stage.
Romney visited the Baltic port of Gdansk, cradle of Solidarity which toppled Poland's communist government in the late 1980s, where he met Lech Walesa, the shipyard electrician who led the union movement during the struggle seen as the start of the end of Soviet domination of eastern Europe.

"Regretfully, we were informed by our friends from the American headquarters of (trade union federation) AFL-CIO, which represents more than 12 million employees ... that Mitt Romney supported attacks on trade unions and employees' rights," Solidarity said in a statement.

"Solidarity was not involved in organizing Romney's meeting with Walesa and did not invite him to visit Poland."

Read it at Reuters Canada: http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCABRE86T0W820120730

Romney vows to repeal the Affordable Care Act but praises Israel's government health care programme

The Washington Post

Romney praises health care in Israel, where ‘strong government influence’ has driven down costs


Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney had some very kind things to say about the Israeli health care system at a fundraiser there Monday. He praised Israel for spending just 8 percent of its GDP on health care and still remaining a “pretty healthy nation.”

“Our gap with Israel [on health spending] is 10 points of GDP,” Romney said. “We have to find ways, not just to provide health care to more people, but to find ways to fund and manage our health care costs.”
Romney’s point about Israel’s success in controlling health care costs is spot on: Its health care system has seen health care costs grow much slower than other industrialized nations.

How it has gotten there, however, may not be to the Republican candidate’s liking: Israel regulates its health care system aggressively, requiring all residents to carry insurance and capping revenue for various parts of the country’s health care system.

Israel created a national health care system in 1995, largely funded through payroll and general tax revenue. The government provides all citizens with health insurance: They get to pick from one of four competing, nonprofit plans. Those insurance plans have to accept all customers—including people with pre-existing conditions—and provide residents with a broad set of government-mandated benefits.

Read it at The Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/07/30/romney-praises-health-care-in-israel-where-strong-government-influence-has-driven-down-costs/

Canada: Romney's 'racist' comment

National Post

Mitt Romney creates fresh divisions on Israel tour with ‘racist’ economic remarks




Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney has been accused of undermining the Middle East peace process and making “racist” statements during his trip to Israel, where he referred to Jerusalem as the country’s capital and told wealthy Jewish donors that their culture is part of the reason Israelis are more economically successful than nearby Palestinians.

                                                                               *

Within days of being publicly criticized by the British prime minister for his statements about the Olympics, Romney’s comments once again put him at the centre of an international dustup.

“It is a racist statement and this man doesn’t realize that the Palestinian economy cannot reach its potential because there is an Israeli occupation,” Saeb Erekat, a senior aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, told The Associated Press.

“It seems to me this man (Romney) lacks information, knowledge, vision and understanding of this region and its people,” Erekat added. “He also lacks knowledge about the Israelis themselves. I have not heard any Israeli official speak about cultural superiority.”

Read it at the National Post:
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/07/30/mitt-romney-says-jewish-culture-makes-israelis-more-economically-successful-than-palestinians/

Turkey: Romney saber rattles, panders and ruffles feathers

Hurriyet Daily News

Romney courts donors, raises cash in Israel

Mitt Romney told Jewish donors today that their culture is part of what has allowed them to be more economically successful than the nearby Palestinians, outraging Palestinian leaders who called his comments racist and out of touch.

Read it at Hurriyet Daily News:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/romney-courts-donors-raises-cash-in-israel.aspx?pageID=238&nID=26658&NewsCatID=359

UK: Romney continues to attract controversy

The Telegraph

Mitt Romney Palestinian comments 'racist and out of touch'

Mitt Romney, who is heading to Poland as part of an international tour, has attracted further controversy as Palestinian leaders called comments on Jerusalem racist and out of touch. 

In a breakfast meeting this morning, the Republican presidential candidate told about 40 wealthy donors who breakfasted at the King David Hotel: "As you come here and you see the GDP per capita, for instance, in Israel which is about $21,000 dollars, and compare that with the GDP per capita just across the areas managed by the Palestinian Authority, which is more like $10,000 per capita, you notice such a dramatically stark difference in economic vitality."
He did not mention the crippling restrictions that Israel imposes on Palestinian trade and movement. The reaction of Palestinian leaders was swift and pointed, as Romney continued to make missteps on a three-country trip designed to bolster his foreign policy credentials while challenging President Barack Obama for the November election. The Israel visit was designed to appeal to the Jewish vote in a tight race.
"It is a racist statement and this man doesn't realise that the Palestinian economy cannot reach its potential because there is an Israeli occupation," said Saeb Erekat, a senior aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
"It seems to me this man (Romney) lacks information, knowledge, vision and understanding of this region and its people," Erekat added. "He also lacks knowledge about the Israelis themselves. I have not heard any Israeli official speak about cultural superiority."
The economic disparity between the Israelis and the Palestinians is actually much greater than Romney stated. Israel had a per capita gross domestic product of about $31,000 in 2011, while the West Bank and Gaza had a per capita GDP of just over $1,500, according to the World Bank.

Read it at The Telegraph:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/mitt-romney/9438251/Mitt-Romney-Palestinian-comments-racist-and-out-of-touch.html

UK: Middle East news agencies react to Romney's statements

BBC

Romney's Israel visit divides regional media

Mitt Romney waves at a camera by the Wailing wall  
Mitt Romney said the US had a "moral imperative" to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons
Newspapers in the Middle East disagree on whose interests were best served by the visit to Israel by the Republican US presidential candidate, Mitt Romney.

Israeli press

Boaz Bismuth in the free daily newspaper Israel Hayom is pleased with the way the visit went. Noting that "the road to the White House passes through Jerusalem", he approves of remarks in which Mr Romney's senior foreign policy advisor, Dan Senor, said the Republican candidate would respect an Israeli decision to act against Iran should the need arise. "An Israeli prime minister could not have put it better," he writes.


Arab press

Writing in the Ramallah-based, pro-Fatah Palestinian newspaper al-Ayyam, Adil Abdul Rahman sees nothing good in the fact that "the US-pilgrimage-to-Israel season has started". "It shows to everyone that the Israeli issue is in fact a domestic one and the United States can never compromise over it," he writes. Despite vital US interests in Arab countries, "neither US administrations nor candidates are interested in the interests of the Arabs and Palestinians", he laments.

An editorial in the pan-Arab newspaper, al-Quds al-Arabi, is dismayed by Mitt Romney's comments on Iran. "Romney will win the largest number of Jewish votes after getting close to Israeli leaders by yielding to their script, but the biggest loser will be the American people and the people of the region if he wins and implements his promises to attack Iran," the paper says.

An editorial in Qatar's al-Rayah agrees that remarks made by the Republican candidate during his visit are "detrimental to the interests of the United States and also detrimental to peace, security and stability in the region". "Seeking to win the White House should not be at the expense of the Palestinian people and their national rights or peace in the region," it argues.

Iranian media 

In the press, the moderate paper Mardom Salari reports Mitt Romney's visit to Israel under the headline "Republican cowboy's efforts for a few more dollars".


For other regional reactions and the rest of the story:  
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19049229

UK: Muslim reaction to Romney's Israeli comments

The Muslim News
News and Views of Muslims in the United Kingdom

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 


Canada: Romney's 'racist' comment

The Globe and Mail

Romney’s ‘racist’ economic statement outrages Palestinians

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney told Jewish donors Monday that their culture is part of what has allowed them to be more economically successful than the Palestinians, outraging Palestinian leaders who called his comments racist and out of touch.

Read it at The Globe and Mail:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/romneys-racist-economic-statement-outrages-palestinians/article4448401/

 

Germany: German newspapers not impressed with Romney's overseas performances

Der Spiegel

The World From Berlin 'Romney Has Already Disqualified Himself'

Republican contender Mitt Romney heads to Poland on Monday, the last stop of an overseas tour that has already taken him to England and Israel. So far, German newspapers have not been impressed with his performance, citing embarrassing verbal blunders and superficial political posturing. 


US Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney spoke in Jerusalem's Old City on Sunday.Zoom
REUTERS
US Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney spoke in Jerusalem's Old City on Sunday.


Republican contender Mitt Romney heads to Poland on Monday, the last stop of an overseas tour that has already taken him to England and Israel. So far, German newspapers have not been impressed with his performance, citing embarrassing verbal blunders and superficial political posturing.
In addition to raising money, the seven-day trip to visit important American allies was supposed to burnish presumed Republican nominee Mitt Romney's foreign policy credentials. He started out last week in London where he met with Prime Minister David Cameron ahead of the Summer Olympics. Over the weekend he went on to Israel where he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

But so far, Romney's trip has not had the intended effect. In London he drew fire for clumsy gaffes. In an interview on US television Romney called preparations for the games "disconcerting," questioning the adequacy of security personnel and the possible strike by immigration and customs officials. "That obviously is not something which is encouraging," he said. Though he later praised the Olympics, the damage was already done. London mayor Boris Johnson rebuked the Republican in front of a screaming crowd of about 60,000. To make matters worse, Romney revealed what was supposed to be a secret meeting with the British foreign intelligence agency MI-6 and awkwardly called Labour leader Ed Miliband, "Mr. Leader."

Warmer Welcome
 
In Jerusalem, Romney received a warmer welcome from Netanyahu -- the two worked together at Boston Consulting Group after they finished business school. In a speech Sunday evening in Jerusalem's Old City, Romney made clear that he supports more American cooperation with Israel. "We recognize Israel's right to defend itself and that it is right for America to stand with you," said Romney, who suggested that he might be open to Israeli military action.

US President Barack Obama has also reiterated Israel's right to defend itself, but has been more cautious, discouraging military action and saying that economic sanctions, including a recent European ban on Iranian oil, should be given time. On Friday he signed a bill that will step up American aid to Israel, also announcing $70 million in funding to help the country advance "Iron Dome," a short-range missile defense system that has already been successful in stopping rocket attacks in places like the Gaza Strip.

Romney sought to distinguish himself from Obama's Middle East policy, calling for a tougher stance on Iran, and saying that the America's "highest national security priority" should be keeping the country from obtaining nuclear weapons.

On Monday, German newspapers criticized Romney's visit to Israel as a shallow effort to win over Jewish voters in the US. 

"Travel educates. As a result one should assume that Mitt Romney, the Republican challenger of Barack Obama, wants to learn something during his visit to Israel. Wrong! Almost everything that the candidate organized in Jerusalem fuels the impression that he doesn't want to try understanding how complicated the Middle East situation is. Instead, Romney paints the crisis region in black and white: Israel is good and the rest -- the Palestinians and the mullahs in Iran -- are lumped together."

"This one-sided world view is less dumb than it is coldly calculated. Romney is soliciting campaign donations in Jerusalem (the minimum price for two plates at breakfast is $50,000.) And he is ensnaring Jewish voters at home."

"The trip to Israel may help Romney in the short-term. But in the long-term the Republican has done damage. The Middle East needs the US as a mediator. As such, the presidential hopeful has already disqualified himself."
-- Renuka Rayasam

Read it at Der Spiegel:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/german-media-slams-mitt-romney-s-tour-abroad-a-847155.html

India: Romney's saber rattling

The Times of India

Romney voices aggressive stance toward Iran

JERUSALEM: U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney is telling Israelis on Sunday that Iran was not trustworthy, and a top adviser said Romney would ``respect'' unilateral Israeli military action against the Iranian nuclear program.

Romney's speech after a series of meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials came at the mid-point of a three-nation overseas journey designed to burnish his foreign policy credentials and highlight his ability to lead on the world stage.  

                                                                              * 

President Barack Obama has sought to dissuade Israel from a unilateral attack on Iran to allow time for tough sanctions to take a toll on the Islamic Republic's economy and further isolate the country. Obama has said the United States holds open the option of military operations against Iran but has insisted now is not the time for an attack, either by the U.S. or Israel.

Senor, the Romney adviser, was associated with the so-called neo-conservative foreign policy establishment that pressed former President George W. Bush to invade Iraq under the mistaken assumption that the country had weapons of mass destruction.

Read it at The Times of India:  http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/romney-voices-aggressive-stance-toward-iran/articleshow/15259194.cms

Australia: Romney angers Palestinians

Herald Sun

Mitt Romney talks Iran, angers Palestinians in Israel


Mitt Romney in Israel
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney shakes hands with people after placing a message, written on paper, in the ancient stones of the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City. Photo: AFP Source: AFP

The White House hopeful, who arrived in Israel from Britain late on Saturday on a one-day visit, stepped into the quagmire of Middle Eastern politics when, during his policy speech, he hailed Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

"It is a deeply moving experience to be in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel," he said, in an apparent endorsement of a position held by the Jewish state but never accepted by the international community.
Netanyahu thanked him for his remarks, later telling him: "I want to thank you for those very strong words of support and friendship for Israel and for Jerusalem that we heard today."

But the Palestinians were infuriated, saying his remarks "harm peace, security and stability".

Read it at the Herald Sun:  http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/romney-hails-jerusalem-as-israeli-capital/story-fnd134gw-1226438348780
 

Thailand: Romeny angers Palestinians

Bangkok Post

In Israel, Romney talks Iran, angers Palestinians

White House hopeful Mitt Romney held top-level talks in Israel over Iran's nuclear ambitions but quickly drew fire from the Palestinians for endorsing Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state.

Netanyahu thanked him for his remarks, later telling him: "I want to thank you for those very strong words of support and friendship for Israel and for Jerusalem that we heard today."

But the Palestinians were infuriated, saying his remarks were "harmful to American interests in our region."
"They they harm peace, security and stability," Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told AFP.

"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.

"Romney is rewarding occupation, settlement and extremism in the region with such declarations."
Israel, which occupied the largely Arab eastern sector during the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it, claims both halves of the city to be its "eternal and undivided capital."

Read it at the Bangkok Post:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/world/305000/in-israel-romney-talks-iran-angers-palestinians

Israel: Netanyahu must not interfere in US elections

Haaretz

Don't interfere

Netanyahu must serve Israel's interests by refraining from crude intervention in the American election campaign.

Haaretz Editorial 

Given Netanyahu's ideological closeness to the neoconservative movement in the United States, as well as his special relationship with senior members of the Republican Party, it's no wonder that the Obama administration has been eyeing Romney's visit with suspicion. The American media have played up Netanyahu's ties with Jewish American billionaire Sheldon Adelson, owner of the Israeli daily Israel Hayom, who supported Newt Gingrich in the Republican primaries but has now pledged to give $100 million to Romney, the Republican candidate, to deny Obama a second term. 


                                                                               *

If Obama manages to stay in the White House, Romney's visit won't contribute to his confidence in Israel's prime minister. If Romney is elected president, he will presumably follow in the footsteps of previous Republican presidents, who placed American interests ahead of both the ideology of the Jewish right and the policy of the Israeli right. Therefore, Netanyahu must serve Israel's interests by refraining from crude intervention in the American election campaign.  


Read it at Haaretz:
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/don-t-interfere-1.454531

UK: Romney: Romney plays to Israel, destroys negotiations with Palestinians

The Guardian

Mitt Romney: Israel's economic success over Palestinians 'due to providence'

Speech in Jerusalem puts Israel's accomplishments down to 'power of at least culture and a few other things'
Romney drew a comparison between Israel's economic success and the Palestinians'. "As you come here and you see the GDP per capita, for instance, in Israel which is about $21,000 dollars, and compare that with the GDP per capita just across the areas managed by the Palestinian Authority, which is more like $10,000 per capita, you notice such a dramatically stark difference in economic vitality," he said.

In fact, according to the World Bank, Israel had a per capita gross domestic product of about $31,000 in 2011, while the West Bank and Gaza had a per capita GDP of just over $1,500.

Romney did not visit the West Bank during his brief visit, although he met the Palestinian prime minister, Salam Fayyad, in Jerusalem.

The Palestinian official Saeb Erekat condemned Romney's comments. "What is this man doing here? Yesterday, he destroyed negotiations by saying Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, and today he is saying Israeli culture is more advanced than Palestinian culture. Isn't this racism? Israelis and Palestinians have a conflict, but they are people, they are equal, it is not a better culture or advanced culture.

"It's Israeli occupiers and Palestinians under occupation, and that's why Palestinians cannot realise their potential," he said.

Erekat earlier said Romney's description of Jerusalem as "the capital of Israel" in his speech on Sunday evening was "absolutely unacceptable".

Read it at The Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/30/mitt-romney-israel-economic-success

Australia: Romney's hard line speech earns ovation

The Sydney Morning Herald

Romney's hard-man speech earns standing ovation in Israel

By Nick O'Malley

America led by Mitt Romney would use “any and all measures” to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, the presumed Republican candidate said in a speech delivered in Jerusalem earlier today.

Mr Romney linked America’s foreign interests with those of Israel and declared Jerusalem to be the nation’s capital - a position not held by the current and previous administrations, which have maintained the US embassy in Tel Aviv.

 

Israel: It's US campaign season: The true meaning of Romney's visit

Jerusalem Post

Analysis: Back lot Israel

07/29/2012 22:03

Romney used the Old City walls as a backdrop to his professions of empathy and sympathy for Israel; Obama used a pile of fallen rockets in Sderot.

With a setting Jerusalem sun casting shadows on the Tower of David and the walls of the Old City as his background, US Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney got what he wanted Sunday before he even delivered a word of his speech – valuable Holy City campaign footage.
Romney is, of course, running for president. He is visiting Israel now because he is running for president. Everything he says now about Israel, Iran and the Middle East, as well as everything US President Barack Obama says and does now about Israel, Iran and the Middle East, must be seen within that prism.

In other words, take it all with a grain of salt: Both what Romney is saying, and what Obama is saying and doing. This does not mean that they do not mean what they say or do, only that it all must be put in the wider context of the campaign.

http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=279336

Israel: Palestinians angered over Romney's claim

Haaretz

Romney calling Jerusalem Israel's capital is 'unacceptable,' says Erekat

In a speech in Jerusalem on Sunday evening that followed a day of meetings with Israel's leaders, Romney said it was a 'moving experience to be in Jerusalem," which he described as, "Israel's capital.' 

Senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat said on Monday that presumptive Republican candidate Mitt Romney's assertion that Jerusalem is Israel's capital is "absolutely unacceptable." 

In a speech in Jerusalem on Sunday evening that followed a day of meetings with Israel's leaders, Romney said it was a "moving experience to be in Jerusalem," and described the city as "Israel's capital." He suggested that he would move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem if he were elected president.  

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Israel: Romney voice, Netanyahu's words

Haaretz

In Jerusalem speech, it was Romney's voice but Netanyahu's words

Netanyahu embraces Romney as no Israeli prime minister has ever before embraced a candidate running against an incumbent U.S. president.

Romney's staff picked the 150 guests carefully. Religious American immigrants dominated the crowd; secular Jews and native-born Israelis were few and far between. Those present included Jewish-American millionaires, settler leaders like the former chairman of the Yesha Council of settlements Israel Harel, and former Netanyahu aides such as Dore Gold, Naftali Bennett, Ayelet Shaked and Yoaz Hendel. 



http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/diplomania/in-jerusalem-speech-it-was-romney-s-voice-but-netanyahu-s-words.premium-1.454521\

Israel: Romney plays to the (Israeli) base

 Jerusalem Post

Romney: Diplomatic support as important as military

07/30/2012 00:32

Republican presidential hopeful talks tough on Iran but stops short of pledging military action; PM stresses bilateral friendship.

US military and intelligence support for Israel is not enough, and Washington must ensure there is no public diplomatic distance between the two countries so Israel’s adversaries don’t get emboldened, Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney said Sunday in Jerusalem, in a barely veiled swipe at President Barack Obama.

Romney, who has said repeatedly in recent days that he had no intention of criticizing Obama on foreign soil, did not mention the president by name once in a 20-minute outdoor foreign policy address he gave in the shadows of Jerusalem’s Old City.

                                                                        *

After the speech, in comments he made before meeting the prime minister for the second time that day, for dinner, Romney made it a point to refer to Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, putting distance between him and the Obama administration, whose spokesmen in recent weeks have been unable to name Israel’s capital.
Chief Palestinian Authority negotiator Saeb Erekat criticized Romney’s comments.

“Mitt Romney’s words are damaging, they harm peace, stability and security,” Erekat was quoted by Israel Radio as saying. “We reject these statements completely.”

Read it at the Jerusalem Post:  
http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=279352




 

 



http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=279352

France: Romney's Jerusalem statement harms US interests

AFP
 
Romney Jerusalem remarks 'harm US interests': Palestinians
RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories — US presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's endorsement of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is "harmful" to US interests in the Middle East, a senior Palestinian official said on Sunday.

"Romney's declarations are harmful to American interests in our region, and they harm peace, security and stability," Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told AFP.

"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.

"Romney is rewarding occupation, settlement and extremism in the region with such declarations."
At a speech in Jerusalem, Romney on Sunday hailed Jerusalem as Israel's capital, in an apparent endorsement of a position held by the Jewish state but never accepted by the international community.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hlLM8haVnkSoSWjuHQ1PZM9kioKA?docId=CNG.f7f9e5091a1f2260c7f31ea5a881adc0.6d1