Arabs rip Newt over Palestinian remark
A senior Arab League official Sunday condemned a statement by Newt Gingrich in which he said Palestinians are an "invented" people, calling it racist and a cheap stunt to get votes.
Israeli cabinet minister Uzi Landau said, however, that the Republican presidential front-runner 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" in remarks made Friday. The comments struck at the heart of Palestinian sensitivities about the righteousness of their struggle for an independent state. Applying the label "invented" suggests that the Palestinian quest for independence is not legitimate.
Later, Gingrich sought to clarify his position, with his spokesman saying he supports the creation of a Palestinian state as part of a negotiated settlement with Israel.
"If an Arab or Palestinian official said a racist comment that was one-millionth of what this U.S. candidate said, the world would have been in continuous uproar," said Mohammed Sobeih, the Arab League official who handles Palestinian affairs. Gingrich's comments were "irresponsible and dangerous," he said.
"If these comments were made for political gains, then this is an even bigger disaster. But it appears that this is a cheap attempt to get more votes in an election," said Sobeih. "And to get this small number of votes, this person sold America's interests by denying international law and democratic principles."
Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said Landau was speaking for himself and did not represent official policy. He said the government would not comment on Gingrich's statements because they were part of an "internal American political campaign."
Danny Danon, deputy speaker of Israel's parliament and a minority voice in his hawkish Likud Party, said Gingrich "understands very well the reality we live in in the Middle East." Many in Israel support the idea of an independent Palestine.
