VP pick Ryan visited Israel in 2005
Touring with a group of other newly elected Republicans, Romney’s running mate met then-PM Sharon, Olmert, Livni, Abbas
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
Rep. Paul Ryan, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s pick as running mate, visited Israel in 2005 as one of a group of newly elected Republican members of the House of Representatives on a mission organized by the American Israel Education Foundation, a non-profit affiliated with the pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC.
The mission followed the typical agenda for such visits, routinely arranged by the AIEF for separate groups of Republican and Democratic freshmen, and included meetings with then-prime minister Ariel Sharon, his deputy Ehud Olmert, other ministers including Tzipi Livni, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Like President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Romney, Ryan has expressed support for a strong US-Israel relationship, an AIPAC official in Jerusalem said Monday.
Ryan, 42, was a co-sponsor of this year’s US-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act, and of a House of Representatives resolution calling to prevent a nuclear capable Iran. He co-sponsored a resolution calling on the Palestinians to return to direct talks with Israel and to stop attempting to circumvent the diplomatic process by seeking unilateral UN recognition. Ryan has voted for all US-backed sanctions on Iran, the official said.
The Times of Israel Community.