Romney outrages Palestinians by suggesting Israeli culture is superior

[Cali_Democrat]

By Barak Ravid | Jul.30, 2012 | 7:47 PM

<...>

But what infuriated the Palestinians even more was a semi-racist remark Romney made during a fundraiser Monday morning in Jerusalem attended by some 40 wealthy American-Jewish supporters.

Romney spoke about the economic differences between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, ignoring the limitations that the occupation puts on Palestinian economic development, saying instead that the reason for the gap was due to cultural differences between Israelis and Palestinians.
<...>

Erekat sharply criticized Romney’s remarks, calling them “a racist statement. This man doesn’t realize that the Palestinian economy cannot reach its potential because there is an Israeli occupation.

“It seems to me this man lacks information, knowledge, vision and understanding of this region and its people,” Erekat added. “He also lacks knowledge about the Israelis themselves. I have not heard any Israeli official speak about cultural superiority.”

Read more: http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/diplomania/romney-outrages-palestinians-by-suggesting-israeli-culture-is-superior.premium-1.454748

This man is doing tremendous damage to US credibility in the eyes of the world and it's only been a few days.

[regnaD kciN]

1. True, but...

...since when was any U.S. politician's electoral chances harmed by being anti-Palestinian?

[Patiod]

5. There was a long, detailed piece on this last night on NPR

Value-neutral, just saying "here's how it is": Jewish voters have organized for influence and donate out of proportion to their population, the pro-Palestinian voter has not, so not politician of any stripe wants to alienate those supporting Israel.

Plus the Israelis have the Rapture nuts on their side, who think that Israel must rule Jerusalem in order for Jesus to come back.

(I have no horse in their race, and see it as an incredibly complicated issues with a lot of valid concerns on both sides)

[regnaD kciN]

6. Plus...

...average voters (neither organized nor Jewish nor fundamentalist Christian) have been conditioned for fifty-odd years to hear "Arab" (and, even more so, "Palestinian&quot and think "terrorist." I suspect that, for a lot of voters, diplomats and foreign-policy strategists may talk about "peace processes" and "two-state solutions" as a form of Kabuki theatre of international maneuvering, but that the "reality" is simple: Israelis are the Good Guys, the Palestinians are the Bad Guys, and the proper outcome will and should be that Israel gets the entirety of the Occupied Territories forever, with the Palestinians either forced out or required to accept their status as second-class non-citizens of a Jewish state. And that Romney, if anything, should get credit for "speaking the truth" instead of being cowed by "political correctness."

[PDJane]

2. He should be gagged and returned to the US

before he gets the opportunity to alienate more people.......

[Ian David]

3. Shorter Mitt Romney: "Jews are good with money."

Even "good" stereotypes have their roots in something ugly.

[XemaSab]

7. That was my first thought too

Hahaha, I can see him going to China and saying, "I bet all 1.3 billion of you got straight A's in school..."

But really,

[AntiFascist]

4. Better to suffer some damage now rather than a lot more later...

hopefully people are realizing that he is a foreign-policy disaster in the making.