OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, August 6, 2012 (WAFA) – The US-based Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) Monday called on the presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney to apologize to the Palestinian people “for the ignorant and offensive remarks he made last week while in Jerusalem.”

Romney claimed that differences between the Israeli and Palestinian economies were due to cultural factors, or even to divine providence.

Representatives from JVP will deliver over 17,000 signatures to Romney's Boston, Massachusetts, office on Monday afternoon calling on him to apologize for his remarks, according to a statement.

'Governor Romney is ignoring the elephant in the room, which is Israel's 45-year-old military occupation of Palestinian lands,” said Rabbi Joseph Berman of JVP.

'Palestinians do not have freedom of movement for people or goods. They are not free to go and study or work as they please. They are not free to import or export raw materials or completed products without restrictions imposed by discriminatory Israeli policies and controls,” he said.

“Governor Romney says that he believes in the importance of a 'culture of freedom' for economic development, yet he seems oblivious to the fact that millions of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation are not free, and that their lack of freedom is the first and most important obstacle to their economic progress,' said JVP’s Pam Rogers.

'Governor Romney should do the right thing and apologize to the Palestinian people for his uninformed and derogatory comments,' added Rogers.

M.S.