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JERUSALEM—Mitt Romney accustomed in Israel Saturday attractive to displace an across cruise that was aimed at proving him to be a able baton on the apple stage. But his across acceptance was debilitated about from the actual moment he accustomed in London, the aboriginal stop of his seven-day tour, aback he accepted he begin the city's Olympic affairs "disconcerting."

While Romney after dialed aback the assessment, his comments set off a firestorm aural the British media--which labeled him "Mitt the Twit"--and prompted rebukes from key officials, including Prime Minister
David Cameron and London Mayor Boris Johnson.

But Romney's asperous few canicule in London could be annihilation compared to the assignment advanced in Israel. While the presumptive Republican appointee will be on somewhat friendlier territory—he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accept been accompany back they formed calm at the Boston Consulting Group in 1976—Romney will be abyssal far trickier adept area in what is advised one of the best acute foreign-policy regions in the world.

His every chat and activity will face alike greater analysis than in Great Britain, as Romney faces acute burden to explain how he would handle the Middle East abnormally than Obama.

Back home, Romney has again casting himself as addition who would be a far friendlier accessory to Israel. The GOP applicant has again said he would "do the opposite" of Admiral Barack Obama aback it comes to the Middle East—though he hasn't defined absolutely what that agency in agreement of policy.

Speaking afore the Veterans of Adopted Wars assemblage in Reno, Nev., aftermost Tuesday, Romney issued a baking appraisal of Obama's administering of Israel, trashing him for his "shabby treatment" of leaders in the region. In one of his harshest slaps to Obama's foreign-policy calendar yet, Romney besmirched the admiral for "lecturing Israel's leaders." Israel, Romney said, deserves "better than what they accept accustomed from the baton of the chargeless world."

It was a red-meat accent to Republicans and supporters of Israel—and no agnosticism was timed to activity up abutment for Romney advanced of his appointment here. But Romney won't be able to echo that address during his two-day appointment here. He faces burden to explain his Middle East action while at the aforementioned time constant by his aphorism of not criticizing the admiral while overseas—a bind that could be catchy for the GOP applicant as he seeks to analyze himself adjoin Obama here.

But Dan Senor, a top foreign-policy adviser to Romney, insisted the GOP applicant is advancing to Israel to "learn" rather than "contrast" his behavior with Obama's. He cited the Romney campaign's cooperation with Daniel Shapiro, the U.S. agent to Israel who was appointed by Obama, as a assurance that the above Massachusetts governor wasn't gluttonous to attenuate the admiral while abroad.

"Our access is no surprises on either side," Senor said, abacus that Romney wasn't actualization new action in the arena because it could be interpreted as "inherent critique" of the accepted administration.

"We are alive actual adamantine to accomplish abiding we don't do that," Senor insisted. "We don't demand to criticize the admiral on adopted soil."

[Get added updates from Romney's across cruise by afterward @hollybdc on Twitter]

On Sunday, Romney has a abounding slate of affairs with top admiral in the region, including Netanyahu, Israeli Admiral Shimon Peres and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. He will additionally accommodated with key associates of Israel's aegis cabinet, including Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Adopted Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

Romney wraps up the day with what aides accept declared as a above accent adjoin the accomplishments of Old Jerusalem. Senor told reporters Romney would appearance his abutment for Israel "in a actual accessible way" by absorption on the "common" ethics and "shared" calendar amid the two nations—especially on aegis issues.

"The challenges and the threats to Israel are the challenges and threats to America, and the opportunities apprehension Israel are the opportunities apprehension America," Senor said.

But Romney's cruise is not aloof aimed at casting him as a elder in a afflicted region. His adventure is additionally aimed at authoritative appropriate with Jewish voters who accept been black with Obama's administering of the Middle East. He's additionally attractive to addition his campaign's coffer account.

On Monday morning, Romney is set to banderole a above fundraiser at King David Hotel in Jerusalem, area the amount of acceptance is advancement of $50,000 per person. (The attack is adopting banknote from American citizens only, back contributions from adopted donors is adjoin attack accounts law.) The gain go to the Romney Victory Fund—a collective fundraising board set up amid the Romney campaign, the Republican National Committee, and several accompaniment Republican parties.

Many of Romney's arresting Jewish supporters accept been arrive to fly in from the U.S. for the event, and the bedfellow account includes Sheldon Adelson, the Las Vegas bank allurement who has contributed added than $20 actor so far in this acclamation aeon to Republican candidates and bourgeois groups.

Under abiding rules amid the attack and its traveling columnist corps, Romney's comments at the Monday fundraiser would commonly be accessible to a baby basin of reporters. But on Saturday, as Romney flew from London to Tel Aviv, a attack agent abruptly appear the fundraiser would be bankrupt to the press.

Asked why the fundraiser was now bankrupt to the media,Romney's traveling columnist secretary Rick Gorka replied,