This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
On his recent trip to Israel, presumptive GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney said he would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and consider moving the American embassy there ("In Israel, Romney declares Jerusalem to be capital," Tribune, July 30).
Presidents of both parties as well as their secretaries of state have declined to make such statements, presumably after careful study and deliberation. One wonders why Romney would say such things, particularly since presidential candidates are famously said never to contradict America's foreign policy when on foreign soil. Perhaps there is an answer.
Rafael Medoff's op-ed "A Mormon in the Holy Land" (Opinion, Aug. 2) quotes early Mormon apostle and fervent Christian Zionist Orson Hyde: "Restore the kingdom unto Israel, raise up Jerusalem as its capital." Could that be the reason for Romney's statements?
Could that be why he deviated from the long-held position of our leaders and diplomatic corps? When elected president, will he follow the well thought out and considered foreign policy of this country, as espoused by the current and former presidents, or will he reshape policies to follow Mormon doctrine or writers?
Wayne Bickley
Sandy