Romney: Borders will be decided by Israel, PA

In CNN interview, GOP's presidential candidate says Jerusalem, Ramallah must find a way to negotiation borders; adding issue of settlements will be 'discussed in private' between allies

Yitzhak Benhorin|Published: 07.31.12 , 10:24

WASHINGTON – GOP's presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Monday that he supports the two-state solution, in that Israel and the PA should be the ones to decide their future borders, sans external intervention by a third party.

In an interview with CNN's "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer," taped during Romney's visit to Israel this week, the republican candidate was asked about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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"I'm on foreign soil, and because it's long been a policy of both political parties to leave politics at the water's edge, I'm not going to go through specific foreign policy prescription," he said.

Pressed further, Romney stated that the capital of Israel is Jerusalem, but declined to fully address the issue of borders between Israel and the PA, saying that "I'm not being that specific. I'm saying that there will be borders that have to be negotiated and what the starting point is something which will be decided by the parties involved," he said. "What the ending point is will be decided by the parties involved."

As for Israeli settlements in the West Bank – an issue often criticized by the US – Romney said that it was "something that should be discussed in private by the American president and our allies."

Turning his attention to the Iranian threat, the GOP candidate asserted that "The United States should keep a military option available" vis-à-vis Iran, should the diplomatic efforts and sanctions fail to "dissuade them from becoming a nuclear capability nation.

"I certainly hope that our military, under the direction of the president, has, in fact, prepared a whole series of contingency plans, not only to previous Iran from becoming nuclear but to respond were Iran to become more belligerent in its - in its efforts," Romney told CNN.