US presidential candidate Mitt Romney visits Israel

Mitt Romney, the US Republican presidential candidate, has left a troubled visit to London behind him and is now looking to rebound in Israel, whose ties with the US have been a familiar theme during his election bid.

Romney arrived in Israel late on Saturday on the second leg of a foreign trip aimed at bolstering his foreign-policy credentials in his race to unseat Democratic President Barack Obama in the 6 November election.

The trip has been beset with difficulties from the start, when he raised British hackles by questioning whether London was ready for the Summer Olympics, a statement he was forced to walk back after a rebuke from Prime Minister David Cameron.

The former Massachusetts governor hopes to find fairer sailing winds in Israel by returning to a familiar issue in his campaign, pledging stronger ties between the US and Israel if he is elected.

Romney will meet Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who is a personal friend of Romney's, and President Shimon Peres.

A meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad is also scheduled, though not with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Romney will be hoping that burnishing his pro-Israel credentials will help him among key constituencies in a tight race with President Barack Obama, analysts say.

He says that Obama has undermined Israel and supported its enemies.

His visit coincides with a Jewish fast day that commemorates tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people.

Romney will end his trip on Monday by taking in cash from a crowd of mostly Jewish Americans who live in Israel.

The fundraiser, scheduled for a Jerusalem hotel, has been declared off limits to the news media by the Romney campaign. Officials gave no explanation for the decision.

The campaign had kept finance events closed to the press for months, but in May began allowing a pool of reporters into fundraisers that are at public venues like hotels, while keeping closed those at private residences.