With all the focus on what Mitt Romney said about Obama voters and dependents, during a secretly video-taped fundraising event, it is surprising to learn that the Republican presidential nominee had the right idea about foreign policy as well as domestic issues.
There is this three minute and 22 second video clip of Romney talking about peace between the Israeli and Palestinians that is a model of clarity.
Romney says essentially that there is little for the US to do about creating a new Palestinian state because the security problems that would be created for Israel as a result would be too imprudent and risky.
Romney explains that he is “torn” by the fact that “the Palestinians have no interest whatsoever in establishing peace.”
Romney explains correctly that everywhere that territory has been ceded to the Palestinians (in Gaza) or in Lebanon, the Iranians have flooded the area with weapons, which are in turn pointed and used against Israel.
The border, Romney explains, “between Israel and the West Bank…..right next to Tel Aviv….the financial center of Israel….maybe seven miles….[to the other side] of the West Bank, of what would be this new Palestinian state… would either be Syria….or Jordan.” Romney continued his analysis saying that the Iranians would want armanents in the new Palestinians state, and that the Israelis would not be able to live with that threat. But the Palestinians, Romney continued, would not be willing to allow the Israeli to police their own independent borders in order to prevent weapons from crossing into their country. And what about military aircraft flying into the new Palestinian state, Romney asked? And again, he correctly noted that Israel would want to have control over security there and the Palestinians wouldn’t allow it.
Romney was right to say that the current Palestinian leadership is “for political purposes, committed to the destruction and elimination of Israel” and then he uttered some hard truth. “I say, ‘there’s just no way.’ And so what you do is you move things along the best way you can…and you recognize that this is going to remain an unsolved problem…and you hope that ultimately, somehow, something will happen and resolve it,” Romney concluded.
This is all actually correct. What Romney said is exactly what is happening and has been happening for years now. There is statemate because these are intractable problems as long as one necessary element is missing: Change. Change by the Palestinians and the rest of the Arab world, rejecting the elimination of Israel in favor of accomodation.
This is the second time Romney has been correct about the Middle East and the Palestinians.
The first time were his comments about the differences in culture between Israel and the Palestinians.
Even the Palestinians agree with Romney about their culture.
So Romney is right about Israel, right about the Palestinians, right about the Iranians and right about these tough problems.
Exactly what has President Obama been right about with regard to these topics?