Countless books have been written to explain this phenomenon, which continues  to this day with Israel’s intellectual domination of its region. In his new  book, “The Future of the Jews,” Stuart Eizenstat provides an example: “Between  1980 and 2000, 7,652 patents were registered by Israelis in the United States.” The figure for the entire Arab world? 367.

The cultural difference between Israel and its Arab neighbors is so striking  that you would think it beyond question. But when Mitt Romney attributed the gap  between Israel’s economic performance and the Palestinians’ — “Culture makes all  the difference,” he said in Israel — the roof came down on him.

PC police the world over raised a red card, giving him demerits for having  the temerity to notice the obvious.