Romney: First Presidential Trip Would Be to Israel

Mitt Romney, speaking today at a gathering of Jewish Republicans, will vow that if elected his first trip abroad as president would be to Israel.

Romney will join other contenders for the GOP presidential nomination at a forum hosted by the Republican Jewish Committee. Romney will also sharply criticize the Obama administration’s handling of Middle East affairs as not sufficiently pro-Israel, according to this report. And he is expected to call for the International Criminal Court indictment of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on charges of inciting genocide.

The only major Republican presidential candidate not invited to participate in the forum is Ron Paul. The Texas congressman has said the U.S. should end foreign aid to Israel, and he has spoken out against any potential Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear program — and the RJC has characterized his views as “misguided and extreme.”