Gingrich is right in this. PLO executive committee member Zahir Muhsein said this in 1977:
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, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct “Palestinian people” to oppose Zionism.
For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan.
The Palestinian nation was invented as a tool of the jihad against Israel. Instead of tiny Israel surrounded by huge and hostile Arab states, the picture suddenly changed to the powerful Israeli war machine victimizing an even tinier people.
I’m extremely surprised to see a presidential candidate affirming this. It is remarkable to see this kind of honesty and clarity from a politician on an issue that has been so thoroughly obfuscated. I’m just sorry that it was Gingrich, who has been such a trimmer and coward under fire in the past.
“Palestinians Do Not Exist, They Are Terrorists: Gingrich,” from AGI, December 9 (thanks to C. Cantoni):
(AGI) Washington – The Republican White House candidate Newt Gingrich has accused Obama of taking sides with the Palestinians. The former Speaker and election front-runner also said that the Palestinians are ‘an invented people.’ Gingrich said that were he to be impartial between a civil law-abiding society and a group of terrorists shooting missiles every day, this would not in fact constitute being impartial but would mean favouring the terrorists. Mr Gingrich does not differentiate between the ANP and Hamas. Interviewed on Israeli TV, Gringrich said ‘I believe that the Jewish people have the right to have a state,’ while ‘we have invented Palestinian people, who are in fact Arabs, and were historically part of the Arab community. [That’s why] they had a chance to go many places.’..