Presumed Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney will host a fund-raising
event in Jerusalem this month at $60,000 or more per plate, The Jerusalem Post
learned on Wednesday.
Delegates are set to fly in from the US for the
event on July 29, which a Republican source said would be “a small meeting, but
a big fund-raiser” as the Tisha Be’av fast ends. Immediately after the
fund-raising meeting, Romney will host a conference in Jerusalem, where he will
lay out his Middle East policy.
Romney plans to visit the UK for two
days, attending the opening ceremony of the London Olympics on July 27, before
flying to Israel.
The Republican candidate will stay in Jerusalem for two
days, Israeli Republican political consultant Jonny Daniels told the Post,
during which Romney will meet with President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister
Binyamin Netanyahu, opposition chairwoman Shelly Yechimovich (Labor) and
Palestinian Authority leaders.
“It is going to be a statesmanlike visit,
because [Romney] needs to be careful about how everything is perceived,” Daniels
explained.
“It is exciting to have the president of Israel meet with the
next president of the United States four months before he is elected.”
The Romney camp’s
biggest concern on his trip to Israel is Israeli agent Jonathan Pollard,
according to Daniels, who said both Netanyahu and Peres are expected to raise
the issue.
Romney will have to tread carefully, because many Republican
voters are unfamiliar with Pollard’s “disproportionate sentence,” Daniels
explained, and as such, may not be sympathetic to releasing someone convicted of
espionage. The consultant pointed out that former CIA director James Woolsey, a
Republican, has spoken out in favor of Pollard’s release.
Last year,
Romney told the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations
he would be “open to examining” the Pollard case if elected
president.
The Republican candidate plans to leave Israel on July 31, and
is considering a stop in Germany en route to the US.
In May, the Post
reported that Romney was planning a trip to Israel this summer, which the
candidate’s campaign did not confirm until earlier this month.
The Romney
campaign did not respond to requests for comment.