Top international officials are condemning US Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich today, after he responded to questions about his position on the Palestinians by insisting that his position was historically accurate and that all Palestinians are “terrorists.”
The issue started with a Friday interview on “The Jewish Channel,” during which Gingrich declared that the Palestinians are “an invented people” made up to fight Israel. When pressed during the Saturday debate, Gingrich not only defended his claim, but added that the Palestinians are all terrorists who “teach terrorism in their schools.”
“Somebody ought to have the courage to tell the truth. These people are terrorists,” Gingrich insisted when asked about the Palestinians. Gingrich initially cited his credentials as an “historian” in his claim, saying that Palestine was part of the Ottoman Empire at one point. While this is true, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq were also part of the Ottoman Empire during the same period, and Gingrich never suggested any of them were “invented” people.
During the debate, Rep. Ron Paul (R – TX) insisted that Palestinians are a real thing, while former Gov. Mitt Romney and former Sen. Rick Santorum both said they would never publicly take a position on whether or not Palestinians are real unless Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave them permission. Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R – MN), when asked, said she thought Israel was a beautiful place, while Gov. Rick Perry responded by talking about the loss of a drone over Iran last week.
The issue of whether or not Palestinians are real is a common talking point on the Israeli far right, with the implicit (and sometimes explicit) claim that territorial possession is race-based, and that the Palestinians cannot have any self determination as a result. Traditionally it has not been used as a talking point in the US, where the concept of racially exclusive possession of territory has been considered gauche for decades.
Arab League officials condemned Gingrich’s comments, saying it was “racist” to suggest that all 4 million Palestinians living in the occupied territories are terrorists, with Mohammed Sobeih warning that such claims were “irresponsible and dangerous.”
Palestinian officials also condemned the comments, saying they were a cheap ploy for political gain. PLO officials challenged Gingrich to prove his allegations about teaching terrorism in textbooks, saying they were simply untrue. Claims about Palestinian textbooks inciting genocide have been commonly brought up by US officials, but the claims have never been backed up by actual evidence.
NACIST
the only two countries with any legitimacy are Israel and The United states of america both of these states have existed since the beginning of the universe created by god himself.
im sick of hearing about all these modern age fabrication, like egypt or china, who ever heard of these places? totally made up i tell you!
and i know cause im a historian
well if it's on the internets it must be true, right?
If you really want to talk history, genes don't lie: it seems likely that the Palestininas are the descendants of the Israelites who stayed after the Romans crushed the Jewish Revolt. Genetic testing that of course is not being done could easily establish whether the genes of the martyrs of Masada more closely resemble the returnees who came back after two thousand years, or the people who may just have stayed there the whole time.
When Gingrich stated that all Palistinians are terrorists he is attacking a fundatmental principle of western justice. Guilt is something attached to individuals and not collectives. Gingrich's theory of collective guilt is the same theory used by Hitler to condemn the Jews, and used by Stalin to condemn the Kulaks. Setting aside the sordid details of his personal life, this statement ,alone, should prevent any decent minded person from voting for Gingrich for president or any elective office in the United States.
After these people elected Bush TWICE and a man like Obama, well, the possibilities of their voting for a decent person like Ron Paul are slim indeed.
What do you expect his foreign Policy Advisor is Bonkers Bolton! That man could take a room FULL of US allies and start an individual war with each of them in less than an hour.
"Gov. Mitt Romney and former Sen. Rick Santorum both said they would never publicly take a position on whether or not Palestinians are real unless Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave them permission."
LOL. Literally.
And they can say this with a straight face. I suppose money is more important than their self-respect and also more important than the world's thinking that the mighty US is Israel's bitch.
And this is precisely why neither of them will get my vote. I will never elect a President who forms his opinions based on what a foreign leader tells him is acceptable.
"… while former Gov. Mitt Romney and former Sen. Rick Santorum both said they would never publicly take a position on whether or not Palestinians are real unless Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave them permission."
Please tell me this was overstated for effect. If not these yahoos are worse than I thought. And I don't think much of them to start with.
any historian worth his phd nose dat those palestenians are occupying land that really, really belongs to a select few Russians, Germans, Poles, Moldavians, Hungarians and people like that. Besides ask any native American from say a tribe like the Cherokees who he/she considers is a terrorist. Newtie who has changed religious affiliations/beliefs as many times as he has been"officially" married and engaged in numerous extra marital affairs is one ultra conservative and chickenhawk that examplifies superciliousness.
So it’s not OK to deny the existence of Israel but it’s OK to deny the existence of Palestinians or Palestine? Conversely, it’s not OK to not recognize Israel but it’s OK not to recognize Palestinians or Palestine.
"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people…"
Zuhir Mohsen, former PLO leader
Straight from the horse's mouth, even the PLO agrees with Newt. There was no "Palestine" prior to 67, Egypt had the Gaza and Jordan the West Bank which they lost in their belligerance towards Israel and again in 73.
So, you agree with Newt. Do you also believe that all Palestinians are terrorists?
Sure…your fantasy only. Like most Zionist firsters, it is better to lie, and revise history than embrace reality. There was no Israel prior to 1947, furthermore not one ME country or people, especially the Palestinians were allowed to partake in the vote for a Zionist state. Palestine has existed for hundreds of years with coinage to prove it. The Zionist state has been a terrorist state since its inception..shall I provide a list???
I realize that reality, and historical truth are the greatest enemy to the Zionist propaganda machine. No where in the Torah is there any mention of Zionism, or an Israeli state..Hmmm?? seems that if Jews abided by the Torah as they should, there would be no need for the invented racist ideology Zionism. Oh yeah, here is some Palestinian currency prior to the creation of the Zionist entity. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestine_pound
The Palestinian Pound was the Official Currency of Israel between 1948 and 1952
As a lifelog Republican, I can tell you that once the Republicans find out how despicable Newt is they will not support him. Just the sight of that draft dodging, lying, racist, philandering, duplistic, war-mongering bag of garbage makes me sick to my stomach.
Newt's statements are logically inconsistent. He says the Palestinians don't exist. Later he says that those people, who don't exist, are all terrorists.
If you think Gingrich said the Palestinians don't exist, you have't bothered to read or listen to what he actually said.
Mr. Knapp, instead of making offhand remarks you should , at least, attempt to justify Newt's bigoted and nonsensical remarks, since you obviously agree with what he said.
I'm sick of looking at this overstuffed scumbag piece of shit.
One must give the pandering Gingrich a shovel, and a burial plot. He will never make it to the grand finale. This piece of white trash is only loyal to the greenback. He would soon gut the constitution, enact slavery, and give credence to the KKK as his loyal old boys club. Regarding the Palestinians, his lie's were just that…LIES!
A man of knowledge and intelectuality who hold high government position takes responsibility of what he states Newt does not belong the these characteristic categories.
Newt's statement is to please a third party, just like a man or a women who do whatever it takes to please someone
Political travesty.
Amazing that these imaginary terrorists don't target people like Gingrich. He knows he's a liar — otherwise he'd keep his mouth shut.
So because some idiot did not put "palestine" when they drew a map that mean no peoples was ever robbed of their house, their land, their possessions and their lives. All that so some other idiot could write "israel" on some map somewhere.
Because the west did not recognize a place named palestine then that must mean the land was completely empty, and the invisibles peoples not living there sure did not consider the land under them as their country, regardless of the name of that country on some maps somewhere.
All the debate over palestine existing or not just show how deep the apologist have sunk, bringing their moral compass along with them for the ride to the bottom.
im just waiting for jesus to come back and sort these racist fascists out…
I suppose if we simply say there are no Ethiopians or Bangledeshis or Armenians or Maoris they will simply cease to exist and their lands would then be occupied by 'terrorists'? If we say there are no Sioux or Cherokee or Mohawk or Navajo, there's no need for those pesky reservations any longer?
This whole business of deciding who and what nations are 'real' smacks of something the Ministry of Truth would implement. I just get a doubleplusungood feeling about it.
………….and he wants to be my laytex salesman!