Mitt Romney told donors attending his campaign’s Utah retreat that he is briefed on the Middle East by Israeli government officials.

About 50 of the 700 donors who attended the retreat in Park City were Jewish, according to one in attendance.

Romney dropped in on a June 22 session and said he had just been briefed by the Israeli ambassador, Michael Oren, speaking about the situation in Syria, the elections in Egypt and the effort to isolate Iran, among other issues.

Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, said he has such conversations with Israeli officials to keep up to date on the region.

Such briefings are not unusual once it becomes clear who the major party candidates are.

To attend the retreat, donors either had to have donated $50,000 to the campaign or raised $250,000. — jta