Fatah Slams Republican Candidates For Anti-palestinian Remarks

The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement on Jan 27 harshly slammed US Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich for their anti-Palestinian remarks. Dimitri Diliani, a Jerusalem-based member of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council, called on Romney and Gingrich to apologize for their “vulgar, hurtful and ridiculous remarks against our people.” Diliani said that the candidates’ remarks “constitute a totally unacceptable distortion of historical truth, the Middle Eastern politics and an evidence of racism.” He added that the comments “prove that in the hysterical atmosphere of American elections, people lose all touch with reality and make not just irresponsible and dangerous statements, but also very racist comments that betray not just their own ignorance but an unforgivable bias. The statements were a cheap way to win the pro-Israel vote,” the Fatah official said. He said the comments “are certainly regressive. They are certainly an invitation to further conflict rather than any contribution to peace.”