Mitt Romney found himself in hot water again on Monday, as he made comments while in Israel that infuriated Palestinian leaders.
During a fundraiser, Romney suggested that the reason Israel’s economy is more prosperous than that of the Palestinian Territories is because Israel has a better “culture,” ignoring the occupation of the West Bank and embargo on Gaza.
“Culture makes all the difference,” he said at the fundraiser. “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.”
“Oh my god, this man needs a lot of education,” said Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat in response to Romney’s comments. “What he said about the culture is racism.”
Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz joined The Ed Show guest host Michael Eric Dyson to discuss Romney’s remarks.
“Mitt Romney went over to Britain and Israel and was, essentially, like a bull in the China shop,” she said. “To risk potentially setting back the process in which we hopefully will be able to get both sides … back to the table for direct bilateral negotiations, that really is damaging and potentially harmful to that goal.”
Zaid Jilani