Israel Matzav

Romney to hold fundraiser in Jerusalem, will meet Abu Bluff UPDATED

Presumptive Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney will arrive in Israel on July 29 and will hold a fundraiser in Jerusalem. The guests will be delegates who fly in from the US who will pay $60,000 per plate.

Immediately after the fundraising 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 Jerusalem Post, during which Romney will meet with President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, opposition leader Shelly Yechimovich (Labor) and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

No one seemed to have heard of that meeting with Abu Bluff at yesterday's session. Hmmm. Okay, Fleischer and Brooks both warned that they did not work for Romney's campaign.

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, the consultant explained, because many Republican voters may not be sympathetic to releasing someone convicted of espionage.

My guess is that he will say that he will bring a fresh reexamination of the issue, but if things keep up as they are I don't think he'll have to deal with it when and if he takes office. The election is close enough that it's becoming more likely that Obama will release Pollard toward the end of October.

Whoever's handing out tickets to the policy conference, I'd like to get in. And although that fundraiser is way out of my range financially, it would sure be great for business contacts.... Hmmm....

UPDATE 12:16 PM

I've been in touch with Lahav Harkov, the reporter who wrote this story for the JPost. She tells me that her source for Romney meeting Abu Mazen is two Republican political consultants who have given her reliable information in the past, but that The Jerusalem Post Washington reporter is going to ask for a reaction to the story from Romney's campaign once it's a decent hour on the east coast.

Labels: Abu Mazen, Campaign 2012, Jonathan Pollard, Mitt Romney

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:42 AM