Malta and Gibraltar are Mediterranean paradises. So what's the problem with Gaza?

They are three Mediterranean oceanfront countries with similar population densities, similar limited access, similar lack of natural resources. Yet Malta and Gibraltar are thriving, happy places that attract throngs of tourists, while Gaza is a dangerous and oppressive hellhole. Why? (Clue: It has nothing to do with Israel.)

On this week's episode, Rabbi Daniel Lapin asked some key questions about the situation in the Middle East:

• Should countries that start wars and then lose them also lose territory?
• How helpful is the United Nations?
• Why have biblically-based countries and cultures been more successful than the rest?
• Is the victim always virtuous or can you sometimes blame the victim?
• Why are the Arabs in Abu Dhabi, Qatar, and Dubai more successful than those in Gaza and the West Bank?

When groups of people succeed or when they fail, the causes are seldom external.  It is nearly always due to internal culture. Kids who succeed at school usually do so because they come from a family culture that esteems education. Whether young people grow into productive citizens building successful, independent lives or whether they become indolent, pleasure-seeking parasites depends only on culture.

Listen to more episodes of “Rabbi Daniel Lapin” on-demand at TheBlaze Contributors.