Romney cancels meeting with party leaders in Israel

9 hours ago CNN National Political Correspondent Jim Acosta and CNN Producer Matt Hoye Jerusalem (CNN) – The leaders of the liberal Labor Party in Israel took issue with Mitt Romney's decision to cancel a meeting during the presumptive GOP nominee's trip in Israel on Sunday.

Romney made a "last-minute cancellation" with Labor Party Leader Shelly Yachimovich, according to Labor parliamentary member Isaac Herzog, who was also scheduled to take part in the session.

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"It is a pity that Governor Romney did not have the opportunity to hear about the political and economical alternative that exists today to Netanyahu's Government and that alternative is the Labor Party," Herzog said in a statement.

Yachimovich leads the party that, until recently, had served as the primary opposition group to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. However, when the Kadima Party left the coalition government, it became the de facto opposition group.

Kadima Party Chairman Shaul Mofaz announced his party's departure from the coalition in mid July over failed attempts to agree on an alternative to the law that exempts ultra-Orthodox men from serving in the Israeli army.

Romney's campaign had listed the meeting on its schedule as recently as Saturday.

The campaign, however, said in a statement Sunday that they originally agreed to set up the meeting with the opposition "in keeping with diplomatic protocol," but since the Labor Party no longer represents the opposition, the meeting was canceled.

"The governing coalition and the makeup of the opposition has gone through changes recently and we have worked with the Israelis to ensure that the Governor's meeting schedule reflects these changes in keeping with protocol," said Romney spokesman Rick Gorka.

Earlier in the day, Romney met with Kadima Party Leader Mofaz, and separately with Netanyahu.

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