Four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador, were killed in Libya in related violence.
The United States gives $1.3 billion in military aid a year to Egypt, plus other assistance.
“The American people are disturbed and reeling with the news around the world,” Romney told the fundraising event, which brought in $4 million for his campaign, for a two-day regional haul of $7.5 million.
A number of polls this week showed Obama building a lead over Romney after the Democratic National Convention last week but the Republicans’ advisers insist the race is close and the former Massachusetts governor remains in solid shape with less than two months to go until the November 6 election.
Romney, an advocate for a strong relationship with Israel, criticized Obama for deciding not to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when the two leaders are in New York this month for the annual U.N. General Assembly.
The presidential race thus far has been dominated by questions over how to rekindle strong growth in the U.S. economy, a challenge that plays to Romney’s strengths as a former business executive.
Romney’s vice presidential running mate, Paul Ryan, a budget expert who lacks foreign policy experience, also jumped into the Mideast debate.
“We have all seen /images of our flag being burned and our embassies under attack by vicious mobs,” he told a conservative group in Washington on Friday.
“Amid all these threats and dangers, what we do not see is steady, consistent American leadership,” he told the Values Voter Summit meeting. “In the days ahead, and in the years ahead, American foreign policy needs moral clarity and firmness of purpose,” he said.
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Reuters