Romney at no point mentioned that the Palestinian territories have for decades been occupied without sovereign control, where residents face significant restrictions on movement and employment.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a racist statement and this man doesn\u2019t realize that the Palestinian economy cannot reach its potential because there is an Israeli occupation,\u201d Saeb Erakat, a senior Palestinian Authority official, told the AP.<\/p>\n
Romney attributed the gap in success in part to Israel\u2019s \u201cculture.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCulture makes all the difference,\u201d Romney said. \u201cAnd 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.\u201d Among them, he cited \u201cthe hand of providence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Romney\u2019s campaign noted that the candidate has used variations of his \u201cculture\u201d theory of economics before in speeches unrelated to Israel, attributing his thinking to a book by Harvard history professor David Landes. Nonetheless, Romney\u2019s opening remarks left little ambiguity that he was making a direct comparison between Israel and the Palestinian territories.<\/p>\n