Dinner With the Netanyahus: Mitt Romney and his wife prepare for dinner with Benjamin Netanyahu and his family. Image by getty images

In the last of Mitt Romney’s engagements of the day, the presidential hopeful has taken his family to dinner with the Netanyahus.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara received Romney and family straight from his outdoor address by the Old City’s walls. On the way in to the post-Fast of Av meal, Romney once again uttered those words that Netanyahu loves to hear at a time when the international community’s refusal to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital city is such a sore point here: “Jerusalem, the capital of Israel.”

Romney said: “Prime Minister, it’s an honor to be here again in your home to meet your wife and your son. It’s always an inspiring and moving experience to be in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, to share one more time our friendship but also to see the progress of this extraordinarily vibrant and growing nation and people.

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“I congratulate you on your leadership and hope that you continue to set an example for peace and strength for this nation and for us all.”

Netanyahu said: “Mitt, I want to thank you for those very strong words of support and friendship for Israel and for Jerusalem that we heard today in your speech by the walls of Jerusalem.

“Jerusalem today is marking the destruction of the city thousands of years ago. As you see it’s been rebuilt by the Jewish people, open to all the three great faiths, vibrant, bustling, and as you said, Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, and Jerusalem will always be the capital of Israel. So welcome to Jerusalem, Mitt.”

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