Cliff May  The region we now call the Middle East is an
elaborate mosaic. Among its peoples are the Arabs, denizens of
the desert who became great conquerors and colonists. The
Persians possessed a mighty empire in antiquity -- and will
again if Iran’s current rulers have their way. The most vibrant
city of the Turks is Istanbul, the Christian capital known as
Constantinople until it fell to Sultan Mehmed II in the 15th
century. The Middle East also is home to such ethno-religious
groups as Maronites, Druze and Alawites; to powerful clans such
as the Hashemites and the House of Sa’ud; to Kurds, a nation
without a state, and to Jews, reestablished as a nation in their
ancient homeland.  The other day, Newt Gingrich waded into this
historical labyrinth, setting off a minor brouhaha by noting
that only recently did Arabs on the eastern shore of the
Mediterranean claim to constitute a distinct nation called
“Palestine” -- the name given to the area by Imperial Rome. On
this basis, he referred to Palestinians as a