Romney comments at fundraiser irk Palestinians
Romney stands near a map of Israel on his campaign plane en route to Poland. (Charles Dharapak/AP)
GDANSK, Poland—Mitt Romney ended
his trip to Israel on a controversial note, angering Palestinian
officials by suggesting Israelis have been more economically successful
because of their culture.
"As you come here and you see the
GDP per capita, for instance, in Israel which is about $21,000 dollars,
and compare that with the GDP per capita just across the areas managed
by the Palestinian Authority, which is more like $10,000 per capita, you
notice such a dramatically stark difference in economic vitality,"
Romney told a group of Jewish donors at a Jerusalem fundraiser that
netted more than $1 million for his campaign.
The Republican candidate told
supporters he began noting "enormous disparities" between neighboring
countries during his time in the business world and cited a 1998 book, "The Wealth and Poverty of Nations" by David Landes, which studied why some countries did better than others.
"He says if you could learn
anything from the economic history of the world it's this: Culture makes
all the difference," Romney told supporters. "And as I come here, and I
look out over this city and consider the accomplishments of the people
of this nation, I recognize the power of at least culture and a few
other things."
Romney's comments didn't sit well with key Palestinian leaders,
including Saeb Erekat, a senior aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas, who told the Associated Press that Romney's comment was a "racist statement."
"This
man doesn't realize that the Palestinian economy cannot reach its
potential because there is an Israeli occupation," Erekat told AP. "It
seems to me this man (Romney) lacks information, knowledge, vision and
understanding of this region and its people… He also lacks knowledge
about the Israelis themselves. I have not heard any Israeli official
speak about cultural superiority."
The Associated Press's Kasie Hunt was the first to report
on Romney's remarks during the fundraiser, which was open to a small
pool of reporters and took place just before he left Israel for Poland.
Shortly after Romney's arrival here, a campaign aide issued a transcript
of Romney's remarks, in which he also mentioned economic disparities
between the United States and Mexico and Chile and Ecuador—which had not
been noted in initial reports of his comments.
His words come just a day after
the former Massachusetts governor met with Palestinian Prime Minister
Salam Fayyad, in what a senior Romney aide, speaking on background,
described as a friendly meeting. The aide said the pair's discussion
largely centered on economic development—which is notable, considering
Romney's remarks on Monday.
But Romney's comment on culture
wasn't the only thing that angered Palestinian officials. On Sunday, the
candidate called Jerusalem "the capital of Israel"—wading into a
contentious debate in the region, as both Israelis and Palestinians have
claimed rights to Jerusalem.
Comments
Post a Comment