re: #138 Dark_Falcon

I think he was trying to make a relevant point with that “invented people” line, that point being that no one thought of themselves as “Palestinian” until the Zionist movement started the return of Jews to the Holy Land. There is a very good case to be made that the Palestinian identity was an invention used to rally Arab opposition to a homeland for the Jews, and that that invention was enhanced after the Israeli victories of 1948 and 1967.

So Newt may not have expressed himself in the best words, but I don’t think he was being an ass on this one and, unlike Rick Perry, I think he knows what he’s talking about on this.

I know there’s a historical quibble there but I’ve never been comfortable with the Jordyptians meme. Everybody comes from somewhere and before that they were somewhere else. Hell, historically there’s no evidence that the Jews came from Egypt with Moses. Palestinian identity is what it is and I think it’s wrong to tell somebody their notional identity is invalid.