Romney: I "did not speak about" Palestinian culture

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks at the University of Warsaw Library in Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday, July 31, 2012.

/ AP Photo/Charles Dharapak

Updated: 11:37 a.m. ET

(CBS News) Under fire from Palestinian leaders for recent comments suggesting that Israel's economic success is borne out of its "culture," Mitt Romney on Tuesday attempted to clarify his remarks, telling Fox News that he had not talked about "the Palestinian culture or the decisions made in their economy."

"I'm not speaking about it, did not speak about the Palestinian culture," Romney told Fox's Carl Cameron, in an interview taped before the candidate's departure from Poland. "That's an interesting topic that perhaps could deserve scholarly analysis but I actually didn't address that. I certainly don't intend to address that during my campaign. Instead I will point out that the choices a society makes have a profound impact on the economy and the vitality of that society."

At a fundraiser in Israel on Monday, Romney, speaking to Jewish-American donors, compared Israel's economy to that of the Palestinians, noting a "dramatically stark difference in economic vitality."

(Romney delivers speech in Warsaw, Poland on Tuesday.)

"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.

He drew parallels between other neighboring countries with such economic disparities, such as Chile and Ecuador and Mexico and the United States, and noted his interest, as a former businessman, in determining the source of those gaps. He also referred to the book "The Wealth and Poverty of Nations," which concludes that culture plays key role in success of nations.

"Culture makes all the difference," Romney told donors on Monday. "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 did not specifically mention Palestinian culture in his remarks, but the comparison between the Israeli and Palestinian economies, and his comments about culture, seem to suggest an implicit judgment.

Romney was swiftly upbraided for the comments by Palestinian leaders, including Saeb Erekat, a senior aide to President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, who told the Associated Press the remarks were racist, and failed to note the potential impact that Israel's occupation of the West Bank have had on the nation's economy. Others have also pointed out that Israel has strict trade restrictions on Palestine, which Romney did not mention.

"It is a racist statement and this man doesn't realize that the Palestinian economy cannot reach its potential because there is an Israeli occupation," Erekat told the AP. "It seems to me this man lacks information, knowledge, vision and understanding of this region and its people."

(Audio of the Romney aide's altercation with the press.)

The controversy marks just one in a series of gaffes that have marked the Republican candidate's brief trip abroad. Most recently, Romney's traveling press secretary was forced to apologize after telling reporters to "shove it" and "kiss my a**" during a tense exchange in Poland.

Romney dismissed the notion that his trip to Europe had been characterized by missteps, suggesting the press is focusing on the incidents in an attempt to distract voters from the real issues.

"And I realize that there will be some in the fourth estate or whichever estate who are far more interested in finding something to write about that is unrelated to the economy to geopolitics to the threat of war to the reality of conflict in Afghanistan today to a nuclearization of Iran," Romney told Cameron. "They'll instead try and find anything else to divert from the fact that these last four years have been tough years for our country."

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, top Romney strategist Stu Stevens characterized the trip as a "great success" and argued American voters aren't concerned about gaffes.

"I think people understand that big elections are about big things. And I think that one thing we've learned about this race is only that which is important matters," he said. "This is not a race that has been affected by small things at all. I think it means absolutely nothing to the people at home because it has no relevance to their life. It doesn't matter."

[boxermaf]

a culture of robbery, murder pilage and land confiscation coupled with uprooting olive trees amongst other barriers to trade. it is easy to get ahead by subjugation if you look at the realities of such a culture! any brigand could do this

[jimatmadison]

Okay, America, who are you going to believe: Mitt Romney or, um, er, Mitt Romney?

Because at least one of them is lying.

[TimeToEvolve]

Wow Romney speaks the truth and left fanatics cannot deal it with it. Very common...

You must be confusing RobMe with someone else. Tricky Mitt, what are you hiding?

[CBSCNETPaul]

@ Socialistnation: Which of Romney's truths are you talking about here? 1. That Palestine's lower per capita GDP is based largely upon the "fact" that their culture is inferior to Israel's?, or, 2. His claim not to have spoken about Palestinian culture?

[Mick_from_Amsterdam]

by Socialistnation

Wow Romney speaks the truth and left fanatics cannot deal it with it. Very common...

*****************************************

Just like the tea-party drones who insisted that the media, the left and any who laughed at Sarah Palin's willful ignorance (which wasn't at all funny)...

Was because they were all "afraid" of Sarah Palin because she was "trying to get the 'truth' to the American people"

Her "truth" was that she found herself stuck in a dead-end governor's job...and bailed out on her constituents and her oath of office...after doing to McCain what she had done to every other political mentor she ever had...she treacherously turned on each of them without exception

Romney is no better...just shiftier and slightly more imaginative and unintentionally funny when trying to explain away his many gaffes and murky history...

And he's MUCH whinier than Her Divaness...but then, only one of them was born with a pair of stones...the one with all the lipstick

The other was just born with a grotesquely inflated sense of entitlement...and a "posse"

[mikesays]

I haven't seen this fact mentioned in the media back and forth over economic performance and "Palestinian culture":

Most Palestinians are poor in the West Bank and Gaza under Israeli occupation, but remarkably successful economically and educationally everywhere else. The Gulf states could never have developed — even with oil wealth — without the contribution of Palestinian brain power and business acumen. In the US Palestinians are also disproportionately educated and successful as an immigrant community.

So what "culture" is holding them back in their homeland?

The only culture that is holding back the Palestinians is the Israeli apartheid culture.

[TimeToEvolve]

I don't know what is more pathetic, the seemingly purposefully ignorant and arrogant slimewad Rob Me or the people stupid enough to want him and his party to Rob You.

How could there be so many Americans determined to support the continued race to the bottom failed Wal Mart economy. You know buy the most cheap crap you can that makes your wages go down. And they want more of that. Maybe they want their kids to be worker slaves for the Wall Street vulture capitalists like RobMe.

[kbbpll]

I wonder what he has to say about the GDP of Native American sovereign nations and their "culture". The comparison with Palestinians would be pretty accurate (stole their land, put them on a "reservation", etc), except for that part where Mormons believe Native Americans are a lost tribe of Israel. Please, get this looney tunes to talk more about his beliefs regarding "culture".

[nearl451]

"I swear, I wasn't even in Jerusalem that day. Really."

[jimatmadison]

This has to be the most embarrassing trip by a presidential candidate in history. In no particular order:

1.Romney praised the Israeli health care system as costing 1/2 of what the US spends and achieving better results without mentioning that Israel has Socialized Medicine. 2. Told the Palestinian arabs that their "culture" was the reason that Israelis were wealthier. 3. Insulted the UK Olympic Committee by criticizing their preparedness. 4. Irritated Fox Newser Greta Van Susteren into complaining that the press traveling with Romney was a 'petting zoo' because they couldn't talk to the candidate. 5. Told Israel that it would be fine with him if they just went ahead and bombed Iran. 6. Irritated the UK intelligence community by talking about his meeting with MI6 John Sawers. 7. Closed a fundraiser in Israel to the press after promising that it would be open. 8. Had his press secretary tell the press to "Kiss my a--" when reporters pressed the campaign on why Romney had only answered 3 questions during the trip. 9. Forgot the name of Labour Party Ed Miliband, calling him "Mr Leader". 10. Praised Poland's 'small government' without mentioning that they (like Israel) have Socialized Medicine, plus free college tuition.

I'm sure I've missed some. This has been a disaster.

[realpatriot1776]

supporter of Obama do not care about the facts of his first term, trillion dollar give a ways to huge industry, and they "the supporters" act as if Romney has done this, you are so blinded by your racism, and treasonous thought patterns, I can only pray that after the election one of you're loony tunes won't do an attack, you have all painted the conservatives as hating Obama, yet it is the liberals that seem to be a denial which indicates mental illness.

[Yeah_Its_Me]

Economists say the trillion did have a good impact ont he economy. But it was too little and wasn't backed up by further jobs bills - not EPA gutting bills with a jobs bow on top but real jobs bills - whicht he GOP keep blocking. Just like they blocked killing the offshoring rewards to big biz! That's not denial... well it is if you're a repub and won't accept that economists reported that the stimulus was good while it lasted.

[trutwin]

The auto companies have repaid or are in the process of repaying those "loans" (not giveaways) and Ford refused to take a bailout.

Where are the American jobs that American business outsourced overseas? They Are Still Overseas? WHEN are they coming back? Hum, still not on the Republican agenda? That's what I thought.

By the way I figured that out for myself, I didn't have to go to Fox News for the daily "brainwash".