Statement From NJDC on Mitt Romney’s Comments That America Should Use Hezbollah as a Model
Listed in: Israel, Other Foreign Policy, NJDC News, Press Releases
WASHINGTON - Yesterday, in an article titled "Mitt Romney cited Hezbollah's social network as a model for U.S. diplomacy," the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) reported on recent comments by GOP Presidential candidate Mitt Romney that Hezbollah's "kind of diplomacy is something that would help America become stronger around the world ..." Today, the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) strongly criticized Mitt Romney for his praise of Hezbollah and released the following statement from Executive Director Ira N. Forman:
"It is the height of irony that, within weeks of saying Democrats are ‘uncomfortable in recognizing evil in the world,' Governor Romney would make such ill-informed remarks that cite a terrorist organization as a model for U.S. diplomacy. Indeed, Mitt Romney's naïve comments suggest a fundamental misunderstanding of the Middle East and geopolitical realities. Mitt Romney desperately wants to be President of the United States, but this type of comment clearly shows that he is not ready for prime time.
"Any candidate for President should know that Hezbollah's social programs are inseparably tied to terrorism. The health clinics and schools praised by Romney have also been used as a cover for rockets launched at Israeli cities. Moreover, Hezbollah social activism has included paying "bonuses" for the murder of Israelis."
Hezbollah's Secretary General, Hassan Nasrallah said in 2002 that, "Regardless of how the world has changed after 11 September, Death to America will remain our reverberating and powerful slogan: Death to America." The following year he said: "Israel is our enemy. ... Its destiny is manifested in our motto: ‘Death to Israel.''' [BBC Monitoring: Al-Manar, Sep. 27, 2002 (from CAMERA's website); AIPAC Memo, 8/31/06]
The full quote from Romney, as reported in JTA: "'Did you notice in Lebanon what Hezbollah did?' [Romney] said in remarks broadcast on C-Span and captured by Crooks and Liars, a liberal Web site. ‘Lebanon became a democracy some time ago and while their government was getting under way, Hezbollah went into southern Lebanon and provided health clinics to some of the people there, and schools. And they built their support there by having done so. That kind of diplomacy is something that would help America become stronger around the world and help people understand that our interest is an interest towards modernity and goodness and freedom for all people in the world. And so, I want to see America carry out that kind of health diplomacy.'"
