Shabi writes: "Mitt Romney isn't on an ordinary world tour. He's on an insult-the-world tour, during which he's constantly trying to outdo his previous personal best."



Republican Party presidential candidate Mitt Romney at an event in Jerusalem, 07/29/12. (photo: Alex Kolomoisky/AFP/GettyImages)

Mitt Romney's Insult-The-World Tour

By Rachel Shabi, Guardian UK

In his enthusiasm to attract Jewish donors, Romney fails to acknowledge Israel's iron grip on Palestinian economic hopes.

itt Romney isn't on an ordinary world tour. He's on an insult-the-world tour, during which he's constantly trying to outdo his previous personal best. How else to explain the Republican presidential candidate's horribly offensive comments about Palestinians during his recent trip to Jerusalem, so soon after the clunking insults levelled at his British hosts in London last week?

Over a £16,000-a-plate campaign fundraiser breakfast with Jewish donors in Jerusalem, Romney aired his deep thoughts on "the dramatic, stark difference in economic vitality" between the Palestinian and Israeli economies. These thoughts were obtained by reading books, he prefixed, before surmising that Israeli accomplishments were down to "at least culture and a few other things" – oh, and also, "the hand of providence". So Romney thinks that Palestinians are screwed because Israelis have a better culture and a better god. It's a shame he didn't add something about bad karma and the Palestinians not doing their positive affirmations properly.

The presidential hopeful doubtless believes this standard-issue, superiority-complex racism – and that it's what his donors want to hear. Romney was, after all, only in Jerusalem to assure rightwing Israelis that he is an even bigger fan of their peace-quashing ways than President Obama. Sitting next to the Republican candidate at that Israeli hotel breakfast was American casino-billionaire Sheldon Adelson, who bankrolled Romney's visit and has indicated his readiness to part with $100m (£63.5m) for the Romney campaign. Adelson thinks that the Palestinians are an "invented people", supports Israeli hard-right prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu and vigorously opposes a two-state solution, so we can presume that Romney's remarks were designed to help him reach for his wallet.

Or perhaps, when the Republican visitor noted that Palestinians were stumped by "a few other things" he was just using internationally recognised shorthand? Maybe he meant "things" like Israel's 45-year occupation, which has kept a chokehold on Palestinians, while at the same time creating a captive market for Israeli products, boosting the occupier's economy. Maybe he's parsing for "things" like the checkpoints, barriers and roadblocks that thwart movement of Palestinians and products – and thereby railroad any attempts to revive an economy. And he couldn't possibly have referenced "things" without it also alluding to America's generous aid package to Israel, the largest annual recipient of US financial assistance and whose military aid was upped just prior to Romney's visit.

Romney must know all of this, because it's practically impossible to avoid. He could have just glanced out of that Jerusalem hotel window and seen the Israeli separation wall, which has helped to stifle the Palestinian economy – and Palestinian cultural life with it. He could skim through a just-issued World Bank report, which puts the blame for the crawling Palestinian economy firmly at Israel's feet. The report notes that "the removal of Israeli restrictions on access to markets and to natural resources continues to be a prerequisite for the expansion of the Palestinian private sector." The bank concludes that, while there are other factors (these not including god or culture), "Israeli restrictions remain the biggest impediment to investing".

In addition to those books, Romney could read any number of reports about Gaza, including from the IMF and the World Bank, which state that its crippled economy is down to Israel's five-year blockade.

Palestinians have, quite naturally, responded with outrage at Romney's remarks. "The statement reflects a clear racist spirit," said Palestinian labour minister Ahmed Majdalani. "If Romney came here to rally Israeli and Jewish support in the US election, he can do that without insulting the Palestinian people."

Some Israelis noted that Romney's comments weren't exactly complementary to them either. "You can understand this remark in several ways," political scientist Abraham Diskin told the Associated Press. "You can say it's anti-Semitic. 'Jews and money.'"

But beyond these necessary rebuttals, there are really only two sensible reactions to this offence-prone presidential contender. One is to set up a sweepstake on the rate of insults generated by Romney while overseas. And the other is to pray to providence that he doesn't come to a country near you.