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2012 Presidential Candidates'
Views on the Middle East
Mitt Romney
Connection
to Israel top
"In a Romney administration, the world will
know that the bond between Israel and America is unbreakable..."
- Remarks
to the 2012 AIPAC Policy Conference, March 6, 2012
“I will travel to Israel on my first foreign
trip. I will reaffirm as a vital national interest Israel’s
existence as a Jewish state. I want the world to know that the bonds
between Israel and the United States are unshakable."
-
Republican Jewish Coalition's 2012 Presidential Candidates Forum,
December 6, 2011
At a San Diego AIPAC summit in 2009, Gov. Romney
told supporters that "most of all, I was impressed with the people
of Israel. That people actually immigrate to Israel, rather than fleeing
from the threatening and violent neighborhood of the Middle East,
is a testament to their courage, faith and character. It is an inspiration
to an often self-indulgent world.”
- The
Boston Globe, October 19, 2009.
America and Israel share common values of representative
democracy, human rights, rule of law, learning, scholarship and free
inquiry, and fight similar ills of terrorism, oppression and authoritarianism.
“We know that Israel is America’s most ardent ally in
the Middle East," Gov. Romney said.
- The
Competent Conservative, October 19, 2009.
Palestinian
Terrorism top
"Well, the reason that there’s not peace
between the Palestinians and Israel is because there is — in
the leadership of the Palestinian people are Hamas and others who
think like Hamas, who have as their intent the elimination of Israel.
And whether it’s in school books that teach how to kill Jews,
or whether it’s in the political discourse that is spoken either
from Fatah or from Hamas, there is a belief that the Jewish people
do not have a right to have a Jewish state."
- Republican
Presidential Debate in Florida, January 26, 2012
"I want every country in the region that harbors
aggressive designs against Israel to understand that their ambition
is futile and that pursuing it will cost them dearly."
-
Republican Jewish Coalition's 2012 Presidential Candidates Forum,
December 7, 2011
"The United States will reduce assistance to
the Palestinians if they continue to pursue United Nations recognition
or form a unity government that includes Hamas, a terrorist group
dedicated to Israel’s destruction."
-Mitt
Romney's Foreign Policy Strategy: In Short, October 7, 2011
Romney asked Arab states to stop funding weapons
for terror, namely Hamas and Hezbollah, and instead pressure the Palestinians
to expunge terrorism and recognize Israel’s right to exist.
Romney strongly supports the security barrier between Israel and the
West Bank.
- 2012
Presidential Candidates, 2011.
The
Palestinians' Unilateral Declaration of Independence top
"With regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,
Mitt Romney will reject any measure that would frustrate direct negotiations
between Israel and the Palestinians. He will make clear to the Palestinians
that the unilateral attempt to decide issues that are designated for
final negotiations is unacceptable."
-Mitt
Romney's Foreign Policy Strategy: In Short, October 7, 2011
"What we are watching unfold
at the United Nations is an unmitigated diplomatic disaster. It is
the culmination of President Obama’s repeated efforts over three
years to throw Israel under the bus and undermine its negotiating
position. That policy must stop now. In his speech to the U.N. this
week, President Obama must unequivocally reaffirm the United States’
commitment to the security of Israel and its continued existence as
a Jewish state. And he must make clear that if the Palestinian Authority
succeeds in gaining any type of U.N. recognition, the United States
will cut foreign assistance to the Palestinians, as well as re-evaluate
its funding of U.N. programs and its relationship with any nation
voting in favor of recognition. Actions that compromise the interests
of the United States, our allies, and all those who desire a lasting
peace must have consequences."
- Romney
for President, September 20, 2011.
Israel
and the U.S. top
"The best way to have peace in the Middle East
is not for us to vacillate and to appease, but is to say, we stand
with our friend Israel. We are committed to a Jewish state in Israel.
We will not have an inch of difference between ourselves and our ally,
Israel."
- Republican
Presidential Debate in Florida, January 26, 2012
"The right course is to show that we care about
Israel, that they are our friend, we'll stick with them. If I'm president
of the United States, my first trip -- my first foreign trip will
be to Israel to show the world we care about that country and that
region."
- Republican
Presidential Debate in Washington, D.C., November 22, 2011
"I believe our relationship with Israel, a nation
which shares our values and is our best friend in the Middle East,
should be of support and confidence rather than criticism and blame."
- Interview
with Israel daily newspaper Israel Hayom, October 28, 2011
On October 6, 2011, "Romney published a list
of his foreign policy advisers, including many who have been active
in or are close to the pro-Israel community, such as Norm Coleman,
the former U.S. senator from Minnesota who is now active with the
Republican Jewish Coalition; Dan Senor, the co-author of a book on
Israeli technological innovation who often works with the American
Israel Public Affairs Committee; and Dov Zakheim, a former top Pentagon
official in various Republican administrations who also is active
with the American Jewish Committee."
- Ron Kampeas, "Romney's Jewish backers enjoying front-runner
status, even as challenges continue from his right," Jewish
Journal, October 11, 2011.
"I will begin discussions with Israel to increase
the level of our military assistance and coordination... I will reaffirm
as a vital national interest Israel’s existence as a Jewish
state."
-Mitt
Romney's Remarks on U.S. Foreign Policy, October 7, 2011
"Israel is the United States’ closest
ally in the Middle East but its security problems are heightened in
these times. In his first 100 days, Mitt Romney will reaffirm as a
vital U.S. national interest the existence of Israel as a Jewish state.
To ensure Israel’s security, Mitt Romney will work closely with
Israel to maintain its strategic military edge. The U.S. will work
intensively with Turkey and Egypt to shore up the now fraying relationships
with Israel that have underpinned peace in the Middle East for decades."
-Mitt
Romney's Foreign Policy Strategy: In Short, October 7, 2011
QUESTION: As president, how would you approach the
new reality in the Middle East, specifically with regards to our ally,
Israel, and the existential threats it faces from Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah,
and now the Palestinian Authority?
ROMNEY: Very simple. You start off by saying that you don't allow
an inch of space to exist between you and your friends and your allies.
The president went about this all wrong. He went around the world
and apologized for America. He -- he addressed the United Nations
in his inaugural address and chastised our friend, Israel, for building
settlements and said nothing about Hamas launching thousands of rockets
into Israel. Just before Bibi Netanyahu came to the United States,
he threw Israel under the bus, tried to negotiate for Israel. The
right course -- if you disagree with an ally, you talk about it privately.
But in public, you stand shoulder-to-shoulder with your allies. The
right course for us... The right course for us is not to try and negotiate
for Israel. The right course is to stand behind our friends, to listen
to them, and to let the entire world know that we will stay with them
and that we will support them and defend them."
- Republican
Presidential debate in Florida, September 22, 2011
"In a Romney administration, the world will know ... that our
opposition to a nuclear Iran is absolute. We must not allow Iran to
have the bomb or the capacity to make a bomb. Our enemies should never
doubt our resolve ... "
- Remarks
to the 2012 AIPAC Policy Conference, March 6, 2012
"I recognize in the ayatollahs of Iran the zealot refrain of
dominion. Their passion for the martyrdom of Arab youth is matched
only by their cowardice in avoiding it for themselves. Nuclear ambition
is pursued by Iran to dominate, to subjugate, and to obliterate. A
nuclear Iran is not only a problem for Israel; it is also a problem
for America and the world."
- Remarks
to the 2012 AIPAC Policy Conference, March 6, 2012
"As for Iran in particular, I will take every measure necessary
to check the evil regime of the ayatollahs. Until Iran ceases its
nuclear-bomb program, I will press for ever-tightening sanctions,
acting with other countries if we can but alone if we must. I will
speak out on behalf of the cause of democracy in Iran and support
Iranian dissidents who are fighting for their freedom. I will make
clear that America's committment to Israel's security and survival
is absolute."
- Mitt Romney, "How I would check Iran's nuclear ambition,"
Washington
Post, March 5, 2012
"The greatest threat Israel faces and, frankly, the greatest
threat that the world faces is a nuclear Iran...I don't trust the
ayatollahs, and I don't trust [Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad...I will do everything
in my power to assure that Iran doesn't become a nuclear nation [and]
threaten Israel, threaten us and threaten the entire world."
- Romney
Meet and Greet in Iowa, December 28, 2011
“Ultimately, regime change is what’s going to be necessary.”
-
Republican Jewish Coalition's 2012 Presidential Candidates Forum,
December 6, 2011
"I would not meet with Ahmadinejad. He should be excluded from
diplomatic society. He should be indicted for the crime of incitement
to genocide under Article III of the Genocide Convention. Iran’s
ayatollahs will not be permitted to obtain nuclear weapons on my watch.
A nuclear-armed Iran is not only a threat to Israel, it is a threat
to the entire world. Our friends must never fear that we will not
stand by them in an hour of need. Our enemies should never doubt our
resolve."
-
Republican Jewish Coalition's 2012 Presidential Candidates Forum,
December 6, 2011
"We have a president who pursued an agenda of saying we're going
to be friendly to our foes and we're going to be disrespectful to
our friends.
The right course in America is to stand up to Iran with crippling
sanctions, indict Ahmadinejad for violating the Genocide Convention,
put in place the kind of crippling sanctions that stop their economy.
I know it's going to make gasoline more expensive. There's no price
which is worth an Iranian nuclear weapon."
- Republican
Presidential Debate in Washington, D.C., November 22, 2011
If "crippling sanctions" failed to block Iran's nuclear
ambitions; "if all else fails, if after all of the work we've
done, there's nothing else we could do besides take military action,"
Romney said he would direct US forces to pre-emptively strike Iran's
nuclear facilities.
"If we re-elect Barack Obama, Iran will have a nuclear weapon.
If you elect Mitt Romney, Iran will not have a nuclear weapon"
-
Republican Presidential Debate in South Carolina, November
13, 2011
"Si vis pacem, para bellum. That is a Latin phrase, but the
ayatollahs will have no trouble understanding its meaning from a Romney
administration: If you want peace, prepare for war ... I want peace.
And if I am president, I will begin by imposing a new round of far
tougher economic sanctions on Iran. I will do this together with the
world if we can, unilaterally if we must. I will speak out forcefully
on behalf of Iranian dissidents. I will back up American diplomacy
with a very real and very credible military option. I will restore
the regular presence of aircraft carrier groups in the Mediterranean
and the Persian Gulf region simultaneously. I will increase military
assistance to Israel and coordination with all of our allies in the
region. These actions will send an unequivocal signal to Iran that
the United States, acting in concert with allies, will never permit
Iran to obtain nuclear weapons ... Only when the ayatollahs no longer
have doubts about America's resolve will they abandon their nuclear
ambitions."
- Mitt Romney, "I Won't Let Iran Get Nukes," Wall
Street Journal, November 10, 2011.
"Weakness begets adventurism, and the president has shown weakness
by extending his hand for a summit in his first year of office with
Ahmadinejad only to have it slapped down. By being silent as protesters
took to the streets in Iran, by not establishing crippling sanctions
against Iran for their nuclear program, and by not mouthing a credible
military threat to their ongoing nuclear program. The right course
is for the president to declare that a nuclear Iran is unacceptable
to America, and to punctuate that commitment. I have called for us
to deploy two aircraft carrier task forces, one to the gulf, one to
the Mediterranean to communicate our resolve in that regard."
- Interview
with Israel daily newspaper Israel Hayom, October 28, 2011
"And with regards to Iran, which perhaps represents the greatest
existential threat to Israel, we have to make it abundantly clear:
It is unacceptable -- and I take those -- that word carefully -- it
is unacceptable for Iran to become a nuclear nation."
- Republican
Presidential debate in Florida, September 22, 2011
President Obama's
Israel Policies top
"I think that the president badly misunderstood the role of
an ally. I think because Obama thought that if he drew closer to the
Palestinians that would somehow encourage the peace process. My view
is that he threw Israel under the bus by laying out his view of the
policies he thought Israel should adopt in the piece process. I believe
that the role of an ally is to stand behind your friends and let them
speak for themselves, rather than be spoken for by the United States
of America. I believe our relationship with Israel, a nation which
shares our values and is our best friend in the Middle East, should
be of support and confidence rather than criticism and blame. The
president got off on the wrong foot by speaking before the United
Nations and criticizing Israel for building settlements and saying
nothing about the Palestinians launching thousands of rockets from
Gaza into Israel, as well as calling on Israel to accept the 1967
borders, which are unquestionably indefensible. This was an act not
befitting a friend and ally."
- Interview
with Israel daily newspaper Israel Hayom, October 28, 2011
Israeli-Palestinian
Peace Process top
"There are some people who say, should we have a two-state solution?
And the Israelis would be happy to have a two-state solution. It’s
the Palestinians who don’t want a two-state solution. They want
to eliminate the state of Israel."
- Republican
Presidential Debate in Florida, January 26, 2012
Foreign
Policy Advisors top
In addition to his personal views, Mitt Romney must draw upon a wide array of expertise to create a coherent
and capable foreign policy, and the use of special advisory teams
are an important asset for this purpose. In order to truly evaluate
his agenda, it is therefore crucial to take these teams
of foreign policy and national security advisers into account. Below
is a list of Romney's foreign policy team for issues affecting Israel and the Middle East.
COUNTER-PROLIFERATION:
- Eric Edelman: Hertog Distinguished Practitioner in Residence at the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University; Under Secretary of Defense for Policy (2005-2009); Principal Deputy Assistant to the Vice President for National Security Affairs (2001-2003)
- Robert Joseph: Senior Scholar, Nat'l Institute for Public Policy; Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security (2005-2007)
- Stephen Rademaker: Principal at Podesta Group; Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation (2002-2006); Policy Director for National Security Affairs and Senior Counsel to Senator Bill Frist (2006-2007)
COUNTER-TERRORISM:
- Michael Chertoff: Chairman of the Chertoff Group; Secretary of Homeland Security (2005-2009); Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (2003-2005)
- Michael Hayden: Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (2006-2009); Director of the National Security Agency (1999-2005)
DEFENSE:
- John Lehman: Chairman and Founding Partner, J.F. Lehman & Co.; National Security Advisory Council for the Center for Security Policy; Secretary of the Navy (1981-1987); Member of the 9/11 Commission
- Roger Zakheim: Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (2008-2009)
MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA:
- Mary Beth Long: Founder and Owner of M B Long and Associates, PLLC, and Metis Solutions, LLC; Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (2007-2009)
- Meghan O’Sullivan: Lecturer at Kennedy School of Government; Special Assistant to President George W. Bush and Deputy National Security Advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan (2004-2007)
- Walid Phares: Co-Secretary General, Transatlantic Legislative Group on Counter Terrorism; Professor of Middle East Studies and Author; Task Force for Future Terrorism at the Department of Homeland Security (2006-2007)
Photo Credit: Mitt
Romney Media - Jessica Rinaldi |
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