Sheldon Adelson Backs Newt’s ‘Invented’ People Remark
Power Player: Sheldon Adelson Image by Getty Images
American billionaire Sheldon Adelson, who is a close ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and owner of the Israeli daily Israel Hayom, said on Sunday that he agreed with Republican Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich’s controversial remarks that the Palestinians are an invented people.
Power Player: Sheldon Adelson Image by Getty Images
Gingrich’s “invented” people remarks to the Jewish Channel, a U.S. cable TV network, earlier this month were met with widespread criticism.
Addressing a Hanukkah celebration for hundreds of youths visiting Israel as part of the Taglit Birthright program on Sunday, Adelson said, “Read the history of those who call themselves Palestinians, and you will hear why [Newt] Gingrich said recently that the Palestinians are an invented people. There are a number of Palestinians who will recognize the truth of this statement.”
Adelson also appealed to the hundreds of Jewish youth in the audience to study history and be “goodwill ambassadors” for Israel.
“When you return to your countries of origin, speak in support of Israel — don’t let Muslim student organizations take over the campuses. Learn history, go back to the Ottoman Empire and the First World War, and know the issue under discussion, and when you return to our homes you will remember that you are goodwill ambassadors for Israel,” Adelson said.
Watch The Jewish Channel interview with Gingrich:
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
