Palestinians: Romney's remarks racist

"As you come here and you see the GDP per capita, for instance, in Israel which is about $21,000, 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," the Republican presidential candidate told about 40 wealthy donors over breakfast at the luxurious King David Hotel.

Romney said some economic histories have theorized that "culture makes all the difference.

"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 said, citing an innovative business climate, the Jewish history of thriving in difficult circumstances and the "hand of providence." He said similar disparity exists between neighboring countries, like Mexico and the United States.

As criticism mounted while Romney traveled to Poland, campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul said: "His comments were grossly mischaracterized." The campaign contends Romney's comparison of countries that are close to each other and have wide income disparities -- the United States and Mexico, Chile and Ecuador -- shows his comments were broader than just the comparison between Israel and Palestine.

At the White House, spokesman Josh Earnest said Romney's comments appeared to have left some people "scratching their heads a little bit. One of the challenges of being an actor on the international stage, particularly when you're traveling to such a sensitive part of the world, is that your comments are very closely scrutinized for meaning."