JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Potential U.S. presidential candidate Ron DeSantis on Thursday hailed Israel as "one of the most valued and trusted" allies of his country as he visited Jerusalem during a foreign tour designed to burnish his prospects as a statesman.

DeSantis noted his opposition, as Florida governor, to pro-Palestinian campaigns to isolate Israel, his support for U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and a 2019 solidarity trip he made to a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank.

Addressing a conference hosted by the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem and the Jerusalem Post newspaper, DeSantis also echoed Israeli worries about Iran, which he blamed for killing U.S. military personnel in Iraq during his own service stint there.

"The task before us as Americans is standing strongly and forthrightly with Israel and with the Jewish people," said DeSantis, who is expected later this year to announce that he will run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

(Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Nick Macfie)