Much attention has been paid to Mitt Romney's comments that culture accounted for the difference in prosperity between the Israelis and Palestinians. However, in no way were his statements gaffes.
A gaffe is an unintentional error, usually one that causes embarrassment. However, this is not an error that will cause embarrassment, particularly to Romney's target audience.
Romney went to Israel as a political candidate, and a candidate has one primary audience, his electorate. Although a candidate can use foreign visits to establish diplomatic relations that will be useful during his term, the candidate's primary mission is to get elected. The primary objective of Romney's trip was enable him to look good to potential votes and possibly to peel off some Jewish votes from the swing state of Florida.
A key constituency that Republicans traditionally court is evangelical Christians, and those who hold similar world views.
Many evangelicals believe in "standing with Israel." However that phrase does not mean simply ensuring the safety and security of Israelis. Instead, it means an unquestioning agreement with Israeli government policy, no matter what it is — something that not even Israelis do. They believe that God somehow likes Jews better than everyone else.
Many evangelicals believe that the state of Israel is central to the "end times," in which neighboring nations will be destroyed and Israel will be spared by divine intervention. A few, though far from most, believe that Israel's borders will expand to reach the Euphrates.
To such an audience, the superiority of Israeli culture is unquestioned, even though most have never met an Israeli.
Not only that, but many have depersonalized Palestinians, whom they also have not met. Instead of being perceived as individuals, the Palestinians are simply terrorists, the enemies of Israel, and those subject to divine wrath.
The optics of Romney's appearance amongst religious Jews at the Western Wall cements the idea that he is one who supports their view of Israel at the center of the eschaton.
Any criticism of him may be perceived as coming from the corrupt final generation.
To an outsider, Romney's comments about culture seem callous and oafish, but to the chosen audience, they are inconsequential, and far from a gaffe.