Sunday, July 29, 2012
Associated Press
JERUSALEM
Mitt Romney’s support for Israel will likely earn the presumptive Republican Party presidential nominee a warm welcome from Israeli leaders when he meets with them today — and a frosty reception from Palestinians, who fear he would do little to advance their stalled statehood dreams.
Romney, who hopes to defeat Democratic President Barak Obama in the November general election, touched down in Tel Aviv on Saturday night as part of a three-nation foreign tour that includes Britain and Poland.
He hopes it will boost his credentials to direct U.S. national security and diplomacy.
The visit to Israel comes at a time when its leaders are weighing a military attack on Iran, the neighboring regime in Syria is looking increasingly shaky and Mideast peace talks are going nowhere.
Romney, a longtime friend of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s, is expected to play up his critique of Obama’s posture toward the Jewish state and his handling of Iran’s suspected nuclear weapons ambitions.
Israeli political scientist Abraham Diskin says Romney can expect an “enthusiastic” reception, both because of his solid record of pro-Israel comments — and because he’s not Obama.
In an effort to upstage Romney a day before he landed in Israel, the White House announced it was signing legislation expanding military and civilian cooperation with Israel.
Romney told the Israeli daily Haaretz before his arrival that Washington’s commitments to Israel should be “as clear as humanly possible” given the changes in the region.