Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney closed out his campaign visit to Israel with a select fundraising event on Monday morning, during which he paid tribute to Israel’s “economic vitality”.
He spoke as the 50-person breakfast meet-and-greet in Jerusalem yielded “a seven-digit sum” for his campaign, according to Republicans Abroad-Israel group.
The first foreign tour of Romney’s campaign trail has been closely watched by his supporters and detractors alike for further signs of his proposed presidential foreign policy.
Whilst reluctant to openly criticise incumbent president Barack Obama, in contrast to his former declarations that Obama has “thrown Israel under a bus”, he nevertheless alluded to their different approaches, stressing his friendship with Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu and referring to Jerusalem as Israelis capital, contrary to US policy.
Also present at the event was Republican donor and billionaire Jewish casino owner Sheldon Adelson, who was more direct in addressing the crowd, insisting: “Israel is heart and soul of the Jewish people and we need a president who understands that”.
Romney’s campaign team has been keen to stress that the trip was not designed for the Republican candidate to relay his foreign policy mandate, rather to listen and learn and gain experience in his dealings with foreign leaders.
Israel was the second-stop of a three-country tour, beginning with London to coincide with the launch of the Olympic Games. After leaving Israel on Monday, his final stop before returning to Israel was to be a tour of Poland.
Monday’s breakfast event in Jerusalem was the second fundraiser of his international tour, following a 250-person event held in London, at a cost of $2,500 a person, a marked reduction on the reported $50,000 price tag of the Israeli event.
Speaking of the US-Israel alliance as “a force for good in the world”, Romney paid tribute to the “accomplishments of the people of this nation”, and its thriving economy in contrast to the Palestinian Authority (PA), which he attributed to the Jewish historical tradition of thriving in difficult circumstances.
Netanyahu, meanwhile, has been criticised on home soil for having giving a state welcome to the presidential pretender before he has even been elected. Despite, several months ago having insisted in an interview with US Time magazine that his relationship with Romney was not close, he has contradicted this on Romney’s tour, referring to him as “Mitt” and claiming they have been friends for decades. The Romney, in return, called Netanyahu “my friend”.
The Palestinian Authority reacted bullishly to Romney’s Sunday address to invited guests in Jerusalem’s Old City, in which declared the city to be Israel’s capital.
“Romney’s declarations are harmful to American interests in our region, and they harm peace, security and stability,” said chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, following a meeting between the Republican candidate and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.
“Romney is rewarding occupation, settlement and extremism in the region with such declarations,” he continued.
The Palestinian media had previously criticised the US politician for reportedly not requesting a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who has repeatedly refused to restart direct peace talks: with Israel, on account of its disputed settlement building activity.

EJP