Romney seeks Christian vote with support for Israel
Monday, June 18, 2012 | Ryan Jones
US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Saturday committed himself to staunchly supporting Israel in its showdown with Iran should he win November's election against President Barack Obama.
"I would make it very clear that for us, as well as for them, it is unacceptable for Iran to become a nuclear nation," Romney told a Christian political gathering in Pennsylvania, where he accused Obama of being "more frightened that Israel might take military action than he is concerned that Iran might become nuclear."
The unequivocal declarations of support for Israel were seen as an effort to boost Romney's elect-ability among conservative Christians, a segment of Republican voters with which Romney is unpopular with due to his Mormon faith.
In related news, the results of a survey published this week showed that a 70 percent majority of Israelis view America as a strong and reliable ally, and 91 percent fully believe that if Israel were facing an immediate existential threat, the US would come to her aid.
On the other hand, a growing number of Israelis do not trust Obama. Only 38 percent of Israelis said they have a positive view of Obama, while 23 percent do not like the US president at all. The rest responded with a neutral stance.
Should Romney succeed in his White House bid, 30 percent of Israelis believe the Republican will improve US-Israel relations, while 26 percent see relations remaining the same as they are today. Only 6 percent felt Romney would be worse for Israel than Obama.
The survey was carried out by the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, the Bar-Ilan University Center for International Communication, and the Anti-Defamation League.
http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23260/language/en-US/Default.aspx
"I would make it very clear that for us, as well as for them, it is unacceptable for Iran to become a nuclear nation," Romney told a Christian political gathering in Pennsylvania, where he accused Obama of being "more frightened that Israel might take military action than he is concerned that Iran might become nuclear."
The unequivocal declarations of support for Israel were seen as an effort to boost Romney's elect-ability among conservative Christians, a segment of Republican voters with which Romney is unpopular with due to his Mormon faith.
In related news, the results of a survey published this week showed that a 70 percent majority of Israelis view America as a strong and reliable ally, and 91 percent fully believe that if Israel were facing an immediate existential threat, the US would come to her aid.
On the other hand, a growing number of Israelis do not trust Obama. Only 38 percent of Israelis said they have a positive view of Obama, while 23 percent do not like the US president at all. The rest responded with a neutral stance.
Should Romney succeed in his White House bid, 30 percent of Israelis believe the Republican will improve US-Israel relations, while 26 percent see relations remaining the same as they are today. Only 6 percent felt Romney would be worse for Israel than Obama.
The survey was carried out by the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, the Bar-Ilan University Center for International Communication, and the Anti-Defamation League.
http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23260/language/en-US/Default.aspx
