A White House spokesperson said that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s comments suggesting Israelis are superior to Palestinians has caused some in the Obama administration to “scratch their heads.”

The spokesperson, Josh Earnest, called on Romney to explain the comments, according to the Jerusalem Post.

“Well, our view is that that’s a different position than this administration holds,” Earnest said in a press briefing on Tuesday, according to the Post. “It’s the view of this administration that the capital is something that should be determined in final status negotiations between the parties.”

Earnest added that previous Republican and Democratic administrations have held the same position.

Palestinian groups have also harshly criticized Romney for the remark, which was made in a policy speech given in Jerusalem on Sunday night.

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