The recent statement by Newt Gingrich, a US Republican presidential candidate, regarding Palestine dealt a strong blow to the peace process. In hostile and racially-tinged language, Gingrich said, in an interview, that Palestinians are “an invented people” who want to destroy Israel. Such remarks will only serve to exacerbate the Arab-Israeli conflict and make peace more unattainable. Gingrich, who currently leads other candidates in his party for the right to challenge US President Barack Obama in the 2012 elections, has denied the existence of Palestine entirely, indicating his acceptance of Israel as a historical entity with roots deep in history. Palestinian official Saeb Erekat called Gingrich's comments “despicable” and said that such incendiary language only serves “to increase the cycle of violence”. Another senior Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi said that Gingrich's remarks were “racist” and the lowest point of thinking that anyone could reach. She added that it was also “an invitation to further conflict rather than any contribution to peace”. Gingrich's remarks are nothing more than a political stunt in his attempt to win the pro-Israeli vote in the United States and to curry favor with the powerful Jewish-American lobby. The language that he used makes it clear that in order to get elected he is willing to belittle the historical rights of the Palestinian people and to sacrifice the chances of peace in the Middle East. It is natural for American politicians to be concerned with getting elected and to say anything that they think will help them win over a particular bloc of American voters. But in his use of cheap language and with his obvious ulterior motive, Gingrich has gone too far. He has put in jeopardy a precarious peace process and has denied an entire people not only their rights, but their historical existence. __
