Posted on December 25, 2011 By TAWFIK HAMID, JPOST—
Palestinian officials reacted furiously to Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich’s assertion that they are an “invented” people.
A senior Arab League official immediately condemned Gingrich’s claim that Palestinians are “invented,” calling the claim racist and a cheap stunt to get votes.
Israeli Cabinet minister Uzi Landau said Gingrich was right. He claimed the Palestinians do not have their own language or culture, and are instead part of the broader Arab world.
Israeli Cabinet minister Uzi Landau said Gingrich was right. He claimed the Palestinians do not have their own language or culture, and are instead part of the broader Arab world.
Gingrich also called Palestinians “terrorists.” The comments struck at the heart of Palestinian sensitivities about the righteousness of their struggle for an independent state. Using the word “invented” suggests that the Palestinian quest for independence is illegitimate.
In a statement, Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond said that “to understand what is being proposed and negotiated, you have to understand decades of complex history – which is exactly what Gingrich was referencing.”
Those comments appeared unlikely to calm the uproar among Palestinian officials, as Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad demanded that Gingrich “review history.”
“From the beginning, our people have been determined to stay on their land,” Fayyad said in comments reported by the Palestinian news agency Wafa. “This, certainly, is denying historical truths.”
This heated historical debate raises important theological issues in the Quran, such as whether the Quran recognizes the Palestinians as a nation? Read the rest on: Read the rest on:
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