Palestinian Incitement Against Israel: Abbas Lied About It; Now It's Time For the West To Deal With It

Both parties are taking some steps to help create an atmosphere that is conducive to successful talks, including President Abbas’ statement that he will work against incitement of any sort...
Statement on Special Envoy George Mitchell's Trip, May 9, 2010

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And I say in front of you, Mr. President, that we have nothing to do with incitement against Israel, and we’re not doing that. What we care about is to live in coexistence with Israel, in order to bring about the independent Palestinian state that will live side by side with Israel in peace and stability.
Abbas after meeting with Obama, June 9, 2010

Abbas lied.

Israel Behind The News came out with a number of  reports of Palestinian incitement of hatred of Israel leading into 2010:

• Palestinian incitement from November 2009 to January 2010
• Palestinian incitement during January and February 2010
• Palestinian incitement during March 2010

Since then, the focus of the reports has been on the UNRWA.

Palestinian Media Watch also has been keeping track of incitement of hate by Abbas and the PA.

In May, Itamar Marcus presented on Capitol Hill his report, From Terrorists to Role Models: The Palestinian Authority’s Institutionalization of Incitement which reported on the Palestinian Authority policy of naming schools, streets, sporting events, summer camps and ceremonies after terrorists.

• In addition, PMW also issued reports on Palestinian incitement for May and June
• There was also a report for Palestinian incitement during July and August

Today, the Israeli Prime Minister's office came out with a list of Palestinian incitement over the last number of months--including 5 incidences of Palestinian hatred towards Israel during this year alone:

On 9.3.11, Abu Mazen's advisor Sabri Saidam, delivered a speech in which he emphasized that Palestinian weapons must be turned towards Israel. He demanded that the Palestinian people be attentive to the living conditions of martyrs' families and said that the anniversary of the death of Dalal Mughrabi (one of the perpetrators of 1978 coastal highway massacre) should be marked by inaugurating a square in her name in the city of El-Bireh.

On 6.3.11, the PA's official newspaper, Al Hayat Al-Jadida, published an item to the effect that the management of a youth club in Ramallah planned to hold a soccer tournament in memory of Wafa Idris, a suicide bomber.

On 9.2.11, the official Palestinian television station broadcast a clip from a campaign entitled "Women as Exemplars", during which Dalal Mughrabi (see above) was extolled. In the summer of 2010, several children's summer camps were named after her.

On 24.1.11, the Governor of Jenin issued a Presidential Grant worth $2,000 to the family of Palestinian terrorist, Khaldoun Samoudi, who was killed while trying to detonate two bombs against IDF soldiers at the Beka'ot Crossing.

On 2.1.11, Al Hayat Al-Jadida reported that Azzam Al-Ahmed, a member of the Fatah Central Committee, attended a gathering on the 46th anniversary of the establishment of Fatah, held in the village of Turah, south-west of Jenin, during which models of settlement buildings were blown up. He reviewed terrorist attacks that had been perpetrated by Fatah and said that, "Fatah is a mass movement which believed in popular revolution and wrested its right to use all means of resistance in order to achieve its aim."

More chilling, the massacre of the Fogel family in Itamar came just 3 weeks after Abbas' Palestinian Authority televised a video praising terrorist "martyrs"--including one terrorist who murdered Israelis in Itamar in 2002:

A Palestinian Authority video TV tribute to "Martyrs" three weeks ago included the terrorist who killed three Israelis in a 2002 terror attack in the West Bank town of Itamar. Itamar was the scene of Friday's terror attack, in which Ruth and Udi Fogel and their three children were murdered.

The video was in honor of the anniversary of the founding of the DFLP (Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine), and was broadcast on PA TV several times daily for four days. It featured a collage with photographs labeled "Martyrs (Shahids) of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine in Nablus." It included the picture of terrorist Habash Hanani, who in May 2002 entered Itamar and murdered three students in the local high school.

The constant incitement of hatred towards Israel by Abbas and the Palestinian Authority has never ceased, regardless of claims by Abbas to the contrary. That incitement continued even during peace talks between Netanyahu and Abbas.

For his part, Netanyahu is now making an issue of Abbas's failure to eliminate Palestinian incitement as he promised:

During remarks at Sunday morning's Cabinet meeting today, Netanyahu said:

We will also be briefed about the incitement being carried on within the Palestinian Territories, in the schools, mosques and official PA media.

We are witnessing hair-raising things. For example, we know that there is supposed to be a soccer game there in memory of a suicide terrorist who murdered and wounded dozens of people on Jaffa Road, in Jerusalem. Regrettably, we see the PA awarding scholarships to the families of murderers. We see that they name squares after terrorists who murdered dozens of Israelis. These do not jibe with education for peace.

I spoke with Abu Mazen last night. He called to express his sorrow over the event. I told him that we expect much more unequivocal condemnations but even more than that, we want to see unequivocal action by the PA to stop allowing this incitement, that it stop leading this incitement. We think that educating people toward peace is an integral part of peace. We also intend to raise this issue in the international sphere, as one of the necessary building blocks of peace.

Here is how the Prime Minister's Office described Netanyahu's conversation with Abbas about the Itamar massacre:

Palestinian Authority Chairman Abu Mazen tonight called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and expressed his regret over last night's murders in Itamar. The Prime Minister stressed that such condemnations were insufficient and added that not only must the incitement stop but education for peace must begin.

Prime Minister Netanyahu added that violence had to be condemned not because it went against the PA's political interests but because morally it is unacceptable. "I expect you to stop the incitement in schools, textbooks and mosques and for you to educate your children for peace as we are doing. Murdering children in their sleep is murder for its own sake," the Prime Minister said.

This is long overdue. Abbas has been allowed to talk about peace while inciting his people to kill Israelis. Meanwhile, the West--especially the US and Europe--has completely ignored this issue. It is time for them to acknowledge the issue and deal with it, instead of blindly pushing Israel to make more concessions without regard to what is actually going on.

Technorati Tag: Abbas and Palestinian Incitement.