Officials and laypeople see disconnect between US campaigns and reality
Just eight weeks before the American presidential elections, Palestinians are furious over comments by Republican candidate Mitt Romney. The private remarks were made in May to wealthy donors but released only now.
Palestinians are “committed to the destruction and elimination of
“You hope for some degree of stability, but you recognize that this going to remain an unsolved problem, and we kick the ball down the field and hope that, ultimately, somehow, something will happen and resolve it.”
According to Mother Jones magazine, which posted the video clip of Romney’s comments on its website, the former
“It’s political illiteracy – has he even ever read a book about
The comments come as the latest polls show a close race between Romney and President Obama. Although American Jews account for only two percent of the population, they represent significant voting blocs in important swing states like
In the West Bank city of
“He’s buying votes,” 27-year old Morad Al-Siory told The Media Line. “How can you judge
Al-Siory said he had come to Ramallah to visit his family. His father, Mohammed, who owns a falafel stand, agreed with his son’s comments.
“How can you swim if you don’t get wet?” he asked. “I’d love to see American policy in the
He also said, however, that he was frustrated with President Obama’s policy and that there was only a slight chance that he might do something different than Romney if re-elected.
“In the last four years he’s done nothing” Al-Siory said. “He fooled the Arabs and the Muslims with his speech in
He was referring to the speech that President Obama made in Egypt soon after taking office in which he called for “a new beginning” in relations between the US and the Arab world. It was seen at the time as an effort to reach out to the Arab world.
Palestinian officials also responded angrily to Romney’s comments.
“No one stands to gain more from peace with
But other Palestinian analysts said the statements had to be seen in context — as part of the election campaign, where Jewish donors and voters play an important role.
“Palestinians have learned through experience not to take statements made during election campaigns seriously,” Ghassan Al-Khatib, a professor of contemporary Arab studies at
At the same time, Khatib said the statements further reinforced previous Palestinian attitudes toward the Republican candidate, who is perceived to have little foreign policy experience.
“This is not a surprise for the Palestinians,” Khatib said. “The impression is that Romney has been extraordinarily hostile and negative towards Palestinians all along.”