Looking to unseat President Barack Obama, Republicans lambasted the president for comments made about "the sensitive and delicate negotiations for Middle East peace with his outline for resumed talks between Israelis and Palestinians."
Philip Elliot of the Associated Press reports that former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman said that Obama, whom he served as U.S. ambassador to China until last month, undercut an opportunity for Israelis and Palestinians to build trust. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said that Obama "threw Israel under the bus" and handed the Palestinians a victory even before negotiations between the parties could resume. Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty called it "is a disaster waiting to happen," while former Sen. Rick Santorum called the president's approach "dangerous."
Obama endorsed Palestinians' demands for the borders of its future state based on 1967 borders—— before the Six Day War, in which Israel occupied East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza. That was a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy.
"It is disrespectful of Israel for America to dictate negotiating terms to our ally," Romney said in an interview with the AP. "It is not appropriate for the president to dictate the terms."
Oh really. U.S. presidents are known for dictating the terms of many agreements, so why not President Obama? Some would argue that Israel has been dictating the terms and little has been resolved, while others would argue the opposite — that it is the Palestinians who won't get on board with peace in the Middle East.
Whatever the case may be, the fact remains that something has to be done, and the process must be moved forward. If President Obama wants to take a stab at it, then why not? Time will tell if his outline will work toward bringing that elusive peace in the Middle East to fruition.
Read more at Yahoo News.
In other news: Casino and Cable Entrepreneur Don Barden Dies.
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