Saturday, December 24, 2011

Exposing the Palestinian Narrative Gingrich-Style

Jennifer HaninPosted by Jennifer Hanin Dec 24th 2011 at 8:17 am in Featured Story, Israel, Media Criticism

Somehow, left-leaning journalists just can’t twist the truth enough to put a dent in the campaign of presidential candidate Newt Gingrich. All polls show Gingrich gaining. Yet some are desperately trying to change that. 

Now, self-professed Palestinian journalist Daoud Kuttab is recapping anti-Israel New York Times journalist Thomas Friedman’s hate in the Huffington Post at Israel’s expense, and failing to turn the tide against Gingrich’s campaign.

Gingrich delivered some bold comments about Palestinians being “invented people”. Low and below the belt? Absolutely not. Let’s be honest, Gingrich had the courage to refute the Palestinian narrative and tell the truth.

History shows there has never been a “Palestinian people” and the notion of one only gained popularity around 1967 — nearly two decades after Jews re-inhabited their homeland of Judea and Samaria (now Israel) in 1948. More facts Friedman and Kuttab will likely ignore is that in 1947 the UN already par­ti­tioned the same land in question into two states: one Arab and one Jew­ish.


Gingrich also knows historical evidence confirms Israel existed as nation as early as1300 BCE, some two thousand years before Islam. Yet there has never been ANY evidence of a Pales­tin­ian nation. Simply put, if there is no historical evidence to separate Palestinians from Arabs then Palestinians ARE Arabs. The fact is there has never been an authentic Pales­tin­ian lan­guage, a dis­tinct Pales­tin­ian cul­ture, Palestinian currency (except while under British Mandate) or even land once ruled by Palestinians. These facts would give any historian pause, and it did with Gingrich, who used it as an opportunity to set the record straight. Gingrich had to address the Palestinian narrative head-on. For that he should be applauded not ridiculed.

While Kuttab profiled a response from PLO executive committee member, Hanan Ashrawi, who called Newt’s statement “ignorant and racist,” it appears Ashrawi and Kuttab have no basis for these vile and defamatory comments. The only people being ignorant about whether Palestinians history is “real” versus “invented” are Palestinians and their supporters, including those keeping lies alive like Friedman and Kuttab.
There is nothing racist about calling Palestinians Arabs.

Kuttab tries his best to convince readers that Gingrich contradicts the Israeli government’s position by profiling Gingrich’s comment that Palestinians are “invented people.” He even cuts and pastes a letter signed by then Prime Minister of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin as his “proof,” which laid the groundwork for mutual recognition between Israel and the PLO (these became the Oslo Accords in September 13, 1993).

But let’s be real about this, too. These self-proclaimed “Palestinians” upset about Gingrich’s comments are the same group that has repeatedly denounced the Oslo Accords and tried to make it null and void. They are also the same group that is responsible for launching a global boycott, divest and sanction (BDS) campaign against Israel, and an ongoing terror campaign that has blanketed the Jewish State with well over 12,000 missiles from Gaza. They are the same group that has refused making peace with seven Israeli administrations. The Oslo Accords, much like Camp David, came about with American intervention to end Arab (Palestinian) violence towards Israelis. It was an attempt to end the missiles and suicide bombings targeting Israelis while helping Arabs (Palestinians) lead more productive lives.

It’s palpable to notice how Friedman and Kuttab never mention the immense violence propagated by “Palestinians” against Israelis. Since 2000, 1,218 Israelis have been killed from Palestinian violence and terrorism. This is another fact that responsible journalists can’t ignore.

Instead, Ashrawi and Kuttab have both done a lame job of suggesting Newt’s comments will springboard Israelis into a new trade: ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. Hmm. Perhaps we should ask the friend’s of the Fogal of family of five who were slaughtered in their own home by Palestinian extremists on March 11, 2011.

Truth be told, Palestinians have engaged in erratic forms of ethnic cleansing against Jews and Israelis for decades. If their missiles were more precise and their bomb attempts didn’t experience occasional hiccups, Israelis would more to worry about.

Honestly, if displaced Arabs had called themselves Transjordanians instead of Palestinians the peacemaking strategy on the American side as ally would be no different. It must be noted that the 22 Arab countries in the region have done nothing to assist “Palestinians” in any way. By refusing to grant them citizenship, they have used them as pawns to continue the conflict.

Kuttab imples that Friedman is accurate when he claimed Republicans are “out-loving Israel to death.” Friedman implies that if Palestinians were not a nation (which, BTW they aren’t), then the US nominee is either supporting an apartheid system, ethnic cleansing of Palestinians or laying the foundation for a bi-national state.

This is pure rubbish. Friedman and Kuttab are sensationalists and are wrong on all accounts. All Gingrich said is that the Palestinians are Arabs. Period. Friedman did a bang-up job of fictionalizing the meaning of Gingrich’s words, and inciting hatred and anti-Israel sentiment against Gingrich, though.

For the record, Kuttab is also wrong when he scolds Gingrich for claiming the US government funds textbooks that teach Palestinians to hate Israel and Jews. The US is the biggest funder of United Nations Relief and Works Agency. UNWRA supplies the Palestinian textbooks that purport so much hatred towards Jews and Israelis. Gingrich again wins the argument. Sadly, that gigantic key at the entrance to UNWRA’s Aida Palestinian Refugee Camp near Bethlehem doesn’t do much to deter the false notion that all Palestinians (Arabs) hold the key to Israel (the key represents the “right of return” and the language says “not for sale”). Instead, it just begs someone to level with them.



So why are so many left-leaning “journalists” upset by Gingrich’s comment?  Perhaps it’s because they support the Palestinian narrative that is baseless and blames big, bad Israel. No one should ever confuse Israel’s desire for peace with the vast factual void surrounding Palestinians. What group has ever needed a colossal key, textbooks filled with hate and the huge lie that their DNA somehow grants them an eternal live-in-Israel-free pass? One built on lies, propaganda and misaligned truths.

America’s desire for peace in the Middle East is based on our commitment to help our allies end their ongoing violence. As for the rest? Friedman is doing what he does best: exercising his self-loathing by pulling the anti-Israel chariot weekly to the applause of his left-leaning audience, who shun history in lieu of further cementing the Palestinian narrative. Kuttab is fashioning a career after Friedman by paying tribute to the revisionist history of Palestinians that Kuttab inhaled his entire life until we gag. Me, I’d just like to set the record straight.

Big Peace