UK: Romney: Romney plays to Israel, destroys negotiations with Palestinians

The Guardian

Mitt Romney: Israel's economic success over Palestinians 'due to providence'

Speech in Jerusalem puts Israel's accomplishments down to 'power of at least culture and a few other things'

• Harriet Sherwood and agencies in Jerusalem 
   

Romney drew a comparison between Israel's economic success and the Palestinians'. "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," he said.

In fact, according to the World Bank, Israel had a per capita gross domestic product of about $31,000 in 2011, while the West Bank and Gaza had a per capita GDP of just over $1,500.

Romney did not visit the West Bank during his brief visit, although he met the Palestinian prime minister, Salam Fayyad, in Jerusalem.

The Palestinian official Saeb Erekat condemned Romney's comments. "What is this man doing here? Yesterday, he destroyed negotiations by saying Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, and today he is saying Israeli culture is more advanced than Palestinian culture. Isn't this racism? Israelis and Palestinians have a conflict, but they are people, they are equal, it is not a better culture or advanced culture.

"It's Israeli occupiers and Palestinians under occupation, and that's why Palestinians cannot realise their potential," he said.

Erekat earlier said Romney's description of Jerusalem as "the capital of Israel" in his speech on Sunday evening was "absolutely unacceptable".

Read it at The Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/30/mitt-romney-israel-economic-success