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BY CHRISTIAN BRYANT

If GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich is known for his sharp tongue and brash remarks, Wednesday’s interview with The Jewish Channel lives up to his reputation. Gingrich’s choice words on Palestine drew strong criticism from all sides.

Steven I. Weiss: “On Israel, do you consider yourself a Zionist?”
Newt Gingrich: “I believe that the Jewish people have the right to have a state. I believe that the commitments that were made at a time. Remember, there was no Palestine as a state. It was a part of the Ottoman Empire. I think that we’ve had an invented Palestinian people, who are, in fact, Arabs or historically a part of the Arab community.”

Gingrich went on to say the Oslo peace process was ineffective and that the Obama administration is out of touch with reality. One Palestinian official says Gingrich doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Here’s Fox News:

Nabil Abu Rdeneh: “This is unfortunate and it shows that this guy is looking for some votes in his election campaign. And it shows how ignorant he is on the Middle East and the Palestinian people. The Palestinian people have been living in this are for thousands of years and we hope that he will reconsider his statement.”

Another top Palestinian official said Gingrich’s comments were, quote, “very racist” and that Gingrich is “incapable of holding public office.” Following the firestorm of criticism, Gingrich’s spokesperson did quick damage control Saturday. The New York Times has the quote:

“Newt Gingrich supports a negotiated peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, which will necessarily include agreement between Israel and the Palestinians over the borders of a Palestinian state.”

This statement was a response to critics claims that Gingrich opposed a two-state solution. The big question is whether or not these remarks will affect support for Gingrich.

TIME editor Mark Halperin says don’t bet on it.

Mark Halperin: “Newt Gingrich says big outrageous things all the time that people in Washington and political media circles say, ‘Ah, well. Ya know this is a huge controversy.’ I don’t think most voters in this process care about what he said. I don’t think they’ll focus on it. I don’t understand what he means, on the face of it. I don’t think most voters will understand or care. So, it’s good for insiders but in terms of ‘Can Mitt Romney stop Newt Gingrich’s momentum?,’ I don’t think it’s going to matter...”

As excepected, Gingrich's remarks about Palestine and the Middle East garnered critical attention at the Iowa debate on Saturday night, mostly from former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Gingrich reponsded by saying he's just telling the truth. Here's the video from ABC News.

Newt Gingrich: “I think sometimes it is helpful to have a president of the United States with the courage to tell the truth, just as was Ronald Reagan, who went around his entire national security apparatus to call the Soviet Union an evil empire and who overruled his entire state department in order to say, ‘Mr. Gorbechov, tear down this wall... I will tell the truth even if... causing some confusion sometimes with the timid.”  

According to a Gallup poll, Gingrich is ahead of all other GOP contenders with 35 percent of registered Republicans supporting Gingrich in the primary.