Speaking at a fundraiser on Monday, Mitt Romney stated the obvious — that cultural differences were a big reason why Israelis have been more economically successful than Palestinians. Predictably, Palestinians criticized the remarks as “racist” and tried to blame Israel for their economic circumstances. The media dutifully portrayed this as a foreign policy gaffe by Romney. Today, in the wake of the controversy over his non-controversial remarks, Romney told Fox News that he “did not speak about the Palestinian culture.” But if we are going to have an honest discussion about the Middle East, it would only be fair to highlight the self-destructive culture of Palestinians.

As an example, back in 2005, when Israel withdrew from Gaza, international donors had supported greenhouses that were supposed to provide jobs for Palestinians and spur the agricultural economy.