American Elections | The American Task Force on Palestine

Romney Versus the World Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast
by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) July 30, 2012 - 12:00am

Republican candidate Mitt Romney's visit to Israel was marked by a series of largely boilerplate comments about the special relationship between the United States and Israel. And, like Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he almost entirely avoided the question of peace and the two-state solution, preferring to focus on the threat posed by Iran's nuclear weapons. In his speech in Jerusalem, the word “Palestinian” did not once cross his lips.

‘The Hand Of Providence’ And, Oh, The Occupation
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast
by Bernard Avishai - (Opinion) July 30, 2012 - 12:00am

Dear Governor Romney: Today, in Jerusalem, you compared the Israeli economy to Palestine’s and suggested, by implication, that Palestinians lacked everything from a progressive culture to “the hand of Providence.” You and I were management consultants in Boston. Here are some facts:

Romney visit reveals falling visibility of Palestinian issue
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Ben Sales - (Opinion) July 30, 2012 - 12:00am

Mitt Romney’s policy speech in Israel covered plenty of bases: The presumptive Republican presidential candidate spoke about the status of Jerusalem, the threat of a nuclear Iran, the “tumult” of the Arab Spring and the “enduring shared values” that bedrock the U.S.-Israel relationship. But there was one topic that gained little attention: Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians. The word “Palestinian” did not appear once in the speech on Sunday evening.

In Israel, Romney wows crowds but puzzles with grasp of Palestinian relationship
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Scott Wilson - July 30, 2012 - 12:00am

Touring U.S. allies this week in his first foreign trip as the likely Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney often appeared to be visiting just another set of swing states, pleasing audiences with parochial promises, puzzling others with off-the-cuff remarks, and raising loads and loads of money. Only the trip was designed to be more than that for a campaign playing catch-up — a chance to show that a former governor light on foreign policy qualifications could represent the United States abroad. On that, the verdict is still out.

With Romney visit, Israelis worry about becoming a partisan issue
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Joshua Mitnick - July 29, 2012 - 12:00am

Mitt Romney’s visit to Jerusalem on Sunday prompted an escalation in the competition among candidates to demonstrate who’s a stronger supporter of the Jewish state.

Back lot Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Herb Keinon - (Analysis) July 29, 2012 - 12:00am

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 on Israel: What is doing the 'opposite' of Obama?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Jan Schakowsky - (Opinion) July 29, 2012 - 12:00am

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney boldly declares that, if elected to the most powerful office in the world, he will do the opposite of US President Barack Obama on Israel. Speaking by satellite last month to the Faith and Freedom Coalition conference of Christian conservatives, meeting in Washington DC, Gov. Romney said he would represent “the opposite” of what President Obama is doing on US relations with Israel and Iran.

The 'opposite' of Obama: A primer for Democrats
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Abraham Katsman - (Opinion) July 29, 2012 - 12:00am

In June, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney told an audience of Christian conservatives that he would do the “opposite” of what US President Barack Obama has done in terms of Israel. “I think, by and large, you can just look at the things the president has done and do the opposite.” Romney explained that his “overarching” message was that “I would not want to show a dime’s worth of distance between ourselves and our allies like Israel. If we have disagreements, we can talk about them behind closed doors.

Key Pro-Israel Obama Ally Splits
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast
by Eli Lake - July 28, 2012 - 12:00am

As Republican donors are financing multimillion-dollar campaigns to bring Jewish voters over to Mitt Romney, one of President Obama’s most important liaisons to the pro-Israel community has opted to sit out the 2012 election cycle.

Obama to sign Israel security bill on eve of Romney visit
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
July 27, 2012 - 12:00am

President Barack Obama will sign a bill to strengthen US-Israeli military cooperation on Friday on the eve of a visit to Israel by his Republican presidential challenger, Mitt Romney. Obama will seek to stress his commitment to Israel's security for American Jewish voters at a White House ceremony that appeared timed to upstage Romney, who has accused the president of undermining US-Israeli ties. Congress passed the legislation, the US-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act, with broad support from Obama's Democrats and Republicans last week.

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