Obama welcomes Romney to Israel with new security bill

— -- President Barack Obama is signing a new U.S.-Israel security pact on Friday -- a move that could steal some of the headlines there even as Republican challenger Mitt Romney opens a visit to the close U.S. ally a day later.

Obama signs the United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act -- a bill that clears the way for the United States to provide more military equipment to Israel -- at 10:15 a.m.

With the former Massachusetts governor visiting Britain, Israel, and Poland this week to polish his foreign policy credentials, the Obama Administration has been playing up its cooperation with those staunch American allies.