U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday signed a piece of legislation that gives Israel 70 million dollars for its "Iron Dome" rocket defense system, one day before his Republican rival in the 2012 presidential election Mitt Romney is scheduled to visit that country. 

Obama gives Israel 70-million-dollar Iron Dome funding

Obama signed the "United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012" to grant additional funding for Israel's production of the Iron Dome system for the year. The Iron Dome is a short-range rocket defense system, which has shot down rockets fired at Israel.  With the signing move occurring just one day before Romney's visit to Israel, U.S. media said that it appeared to have been timed to "upstage" Romney.