Gingrich: Palestinians an ‘invented’ people

“PALESTINIANS ARE ARABS.” Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich gives a thumbs-up as he leaves the stage after addressing the 2012 Republican Presidential Candidates Forum hosted by the Republican Jewish Coalition, Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2011, in Washington. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

WASHINGTON — Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich is telling a Jewish cable channel that Palestinians are an “invented” people and that they are really Arabs who chose not to live elsewhere.

The Jewish Channel on Friday released excerpts of an interview in which the former House speaker says there was no Palestine as a state and that the residents there were part of the Ottoman Empire before the creation of the state of Israel.

Gingrich says Palestinians were historically part of the Arab community and that they had a chance to go many places.

Gingrich says the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians has been “delusional.” He says President Barack Obama’s effort to treat the Palestinians the same as the Israelis is actually “favoring the terrorists.”