Palestinians were upset to hear Newt Gingrich call them an “invented” people. The comment was "the most racist statement I've ever seen,” said top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat. Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad demanded Gingrich "review history." In an interview with The Jewish Channel, Gingrich said he supports a Jewish state but that historically "there was no Palestine as a state.” He explained, “It was part of the Ottoman Empire. And I think that we've had an invented Palestinian people, who are in fact Arabs, who are historically part of the Arab community."
