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An American military strike against Iran's nuclear sites should not be ruled out, Mitt Romney has said in interviews with the Israeli media before his visit to the Jewish state.
He also suggested it was not "right" for the US to act as a negotiator between Israel and the Palestinians, and he accused President Barack Obama of publicly criticising its "friend and ally".
The presumptive Republican candidate in the US presidential election arrives in Israel on Saturday for a brief visit, during which he is expected to make a speech on foreign policy and Israeli-US relations. He is scheduled to meet Israel's prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres, and the Palestinian prime minister, Salam Fayyad, and he will visit the Western Wall.
Romney has repeatedly attacked Obama over his administration's stance on Israel and is attempting to win over Jewish voters in the US. More than 70% of Jewish voters backed Obama in 2008, according to exit polls. A recent Gallup poll gave Obama 67% of the Jewish vote compared with 25% supporting Romney.
Presidential candidates traditionally refrain from attacking their opponents while abroad but, in an interview given before his departure from the US, Romney denounced Obama for public criticism of Israel.
He said if he were elected president, "I would treat Israel like the friend and ally it is. We share not only common interests, but also common values," he told the mass circulation Israel Hayom.
"I cannot imagine going to the United Nations, as Obama did, and criticising Israel in front of the world. You don't criticise your allies in public to achieve the applause of your foes. If there were places where we disagree, I would hold these disagreements in private conversations, not in public forums."
In an unusual comment, Romney also said the US should not intervene in efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. America has been seen as the key international partner in the peace process for decades.
"Acting as a negotiator and usurping the primary role played by Israel in negotiating for its own future is not the right course for America to take," Romney said.
He added that the pre-1967 borders, which Obama has said should be the basis for negotiations, "are indefensible".
On Iran, Romney told Haaretz, Israel's oldest daily newspaper, that US military action "is by far the least attractive option, but it should not be ruled out. The military option should be evaluated and available if no other course is successful."
In the event of an Israeli military strike on Iran, he indicated he, as president, would stand back. "Prime minister Netanyahu always has to do what he feels is in the best interests of his own nation."
He told Israel Hayom: "My commitment is to take whatever action is necessary to prevent Iran becoming nuclear."
The Israeli government has had a frosty relationship with the Obama administration and would undoubtedly welcome a Romney victory in November. Romney and Netanyahu have been friends since they worked together in the US in the mid-1970s.
Full-page advertisements were taken in the Jerusalem Post before Romney's arrival. One, from the iVoteIsrael campaign, read: "Twice in history Jerusalem was destroyed on the Ninth of Av. This year, Americans in Israel are voting to guarantee it will never happen again."
The Ninth of Av, or Tisha B'Av, is the date in the Jewish calendar of the destruction of the first and second Jewish temples, more than 650 years apart. It is commemorated with a day of mourning and fasting, which this year falls on Sunday, the day of Romney's visit.
A second advertisement, from the Committee for Israel, displayed quotes criticising Obama in connection with Israel. iVoteIsrael has set a goal of 100,000 eligible Israelis casting a vote in November's election.
Mitt Romney woos Israel by considering US strike against Iran | World news | guardian.co.uk
