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PA Children's Play: The Jews burned Palestinians in ovens (19.4.04)
By Itamar Marcus,
Palestinian Media Watch
A children's play broadcast recently on Palestinian Authority TV includes a horrific scene of child actors depicting "dead" Palestinian children [below], accompanied by narration saying that Israelis burned Palestinians in ovens.
Today, in recognition of Holocaust Memorial Day, PMW is distributing this video as a reminder that odious libel about the Holocaust continues to this day in the PA education of its children.
Narration of the PA children's play:
"They [Israel] are the ones who did the Holocaust, their knife cuts to the length and the width of our flesh...
They opened the ovens for us to bake human beings.
They destroyed the villages and burnt the cities.
And when an oven stops burning, they light a hundred [more] ovens.
Their hands are covered with the blood of our children."
[PA TV March 25, 2004]
The Winning Entries in the Palestinian Authority's Children's Letter Writing Contest (1.6.03)
By Itamar Marcus,
Palestinian Media Watch
The Themes:
1. Lod and Jaffa are Palestinian cities.
2. Glorifying violence, hate, Death for Allah - Shahada.
3. Hatred of America.
Introduction:
The Palestinian Authority [PA] Education Ministry has announced the 10 first place winners from among one million letters submitted in a children's letter writing contest. What is evident from the PA selections is that the PA Education Ministry continues to promote hatred and violence as values for Palestinian youth.
The ten winning letters all deal with the conflict, and promote hatred and killing. Not one promotes peace with Israel. The themes include longing for Israel's destruction, desire to kill Israelis, and hatred of the US. Israelis are defined as the enemy, Israeli soldiers are depicted as taking bottles of blood of murdered children, and Israel PM Sharon is vilified.
It is very indicative of the foundation of PA education, that the very first letter cited is entitled "I will yet return to Lod - a letter to my enemy" in which the Palestinian child writes: "You do not deserve Lod, and after this day I will no longer accept the small pool [instead of the Sea at Jaffa]." Honoring the refusal to accept Israeli sovereignty over its cities Jaffa and Lod is teaching Palestinian children that Israel's destruction is a legitimate and reachable goal.
Comment: If among the million of letters submitted, peace promoting themes were present and yet the PA leadership refused to include even one among the winners, it means the Palestinians are continuing their hate education. On the other hand, there was not even one peace-promoting letter it is equally disturbing, as an ominous warning of how successful the PA education has been in creating a generation dedicated to hatred of Israel. PMW has noted repeatedly that the PA education to hatred and violence, has been an accurate indicator of PA goals and behavior in the past.
The following are the letters as they appeared in the official ad published by the Palestinian Authority in the daily, Al-Quds.
1. "I yet still return to Lod"
"A letter to my enemy, ... I am Lara from Lod, and I am an eleven year-old girl living in the city of Ramallah. I used to accept that Ramallah is a substitute for Lod, and that the large sea has been exchanged for a small pool. However, in spite of this you stole my simple dream from me. You came to my little house and conquered it; you killed, you destroyed, and you carried out arrests. Therefore you do not deserve [to have] Lod, and after this day I will no longer accept the small pool. I will dream of the sea at Jaffa and the sunshine in Lod." [ed note: Jaffa and Lod are Israeli cities]
[Lara Amar Al-Janan School, Ramallah, Sixth Grade]
2. "My soul, my love, why do they keep me from you?"
"After we suffered from the attack upon my brother, the shahid, Majdi, on April 24 th 2002, I also lost my father, Naji, forty days later, when he was [killed] by the occupation. I hurried to look for you, my father, in the corners of the houses but I did not find you. I look at your empty bed, and see you as if in Hell. I am the one who saw the death of his brother at the moment that he became a shahid. My heart has turned into a sad block of pain. One day I will buy a weapon and I will blow away the fetters. I will propel my living-dead body into your arms, my father, and you will gather me into your hands. My soul, my love, why do they keep me from you?"
[Mahmoud Naji Chalilah, Jaba Boys Elementary [School] Jenin-Seventh Grade]
3. "A bottle of blood as a Mothers' Day Gift"
"To my fellow member of humanity, the Israeli soldier at the military roadblock, We celebrated Mothers' Day and then we went to a family nearby to join them for the celebration and give them our blessings because their son is missing. My brother, do you know why he is missing? He died after one of your comrades shot him, and he was killed at the age of 14. Did your mother celebrate Mothers' Day? I don't think you celebrated with her because of the assignments you have been given to carry out against the Palestinians. I suggest that if you pay her a late visit, you should bring her a gift: a bottle of the blood of a Palestinian child whom you have murdered on the way and whose mother is still looking for him. I am sure that your mother would be very satisfied with this gift."
[Jhouk Tarek abd Al-Chalim Anavta Girls' [School], Tenth Grade]
4. "Do they call you "Grandpa"?"
"To Sharon, without any greetings, Sharon, you do not know how much I wish I could meet your grandchildren so that I could ask them if you play with them. Do they call you `Grandpa'? Or are they afraid of you? I would like to tell you the secret of my hatred towards you. I do not hate you because of your religion, because I believe in Musa [Moses], may his memory be blessed. I hate you because you hate the children of my nation. We love peace just as much you love war. And I would like to let you know something. A very rude boy lives in my neighborhood, and do you know what they call him? They call him "Sharon.""
[Saja Etzam Marei Mahmoud Alhamshari School, Tulkarem, Seventh Grade]
5. "She was at peace with herself"
[Ed note - letter is to parents of the American, Rachel Corey, who died when trying to prevent an Israeli bulldozer from destroying Palestinian weapon tunnels in the Gaza Strip.]
"To Mrs. Cynthia and Mr. Craig, the parents of the Shahida [Died for Allah] of the Palestinian people, the American, Rachel Corey, Washington, Rachel's pure spirit is still examining our intentions, and it asks us not to give in or to be defeated. Rachel did not cross the ocean in vain. It was in order to turn her body, which was small in size, into something great in terms of love and hope, [to be] like a protective shield to those who are exploited under the occupation. She came to take part in a symbolic trial against the president of her country, George Bush, because she knew that your president's administration obeys the Israeli government. The sharpest proof of this is that your country's government did not condemn the killing of your daughter, but sought to conduct an investigation into the incident. I would like to invite both of you to visit Palestine so that you could see how much Rachel was at peace with herself when she said what she did and did what she did."
[Mahmoud Ibrahim Alsatiti, Jilabun Elementary School for Boys, Ninth Grade]
6. A Letter to the Swiss Ambassador:
"Your respected government constructed our school in 1995.. And now Israel is currently building their fictitious security fence of separation only about 5 meters away from our school. Could you send the Israeli government a request to keep the wall away from our school, as far as possible?"
7. A Letter to an Israeli Soldier at the Roadblock
"I see you behind blocks of cement, on your back is this ammunition, this equipment that is too heavy for you to carry, your face shows toughness, in your heart is worry and fear. I see my friends while they are walking on their way to school and on their backs their school bag is filled with [school] equipment. On their faces is hope and happiness. I see a big difference between what we carry on our backs and what you carry on yours - [a rifle.] You live with the hope of power, while we live with the power of hope."
8-10th Letters:
The last three are a letter to a father in an Israeli jail "who is rotting in a place where time passes like a tortoise" to a father who left when the children were young, and a letter to the UN Secretary-General complaining: "Why are you silent when major crimes are being perpetrated against us?"
[Al-Quds, May 28th, 2003]
Palestinian Hate-Filled Music Videos (20-21.4.03)
By Itamar Marcus
Palestinian Media Watch
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One of the potent means used by the Palestinians to indoctrinate children to hate Israelis is the repeated broadcasting on Palestinian TV of Hate-filled Music Videos.
One of the most frequently shown Palestinian Music Videos, broadcast regularly for two years and a frequently in recent days, teaches young children that throwing stones at Israelis is a way to defend their mother's honor. In one scene young boys throw stones at a glass window with Jewish symbols: the word Israel in Hebrew, a star of David, an Israeli flag and an Israeli soldier. Immediately after the window and the Jewish symbols are smashed, all the flames on a Menorah [Jewish Traditional Candelabra] are extinguished.
The message to Palestinian children is clear: their stones have the power to destroy Jewish symbols and extinguish the flames of Jewish tradition.
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PMW has reported extensively on Palestinian education to hatred. One of the potent means used by the Palestinians to indoctrinate children to hate Israelis is the repeated broadcasting on Palestinian TV of Hate-filled Music Videos depicting Israelis as murderers, especially of children and the elderly.
One of the new Palestinian Music Videos which has been broadcast regularly since January 2003 includes the following scenes, acted out by Palestinian actors:
1. It opens with a laughing girl on a swing, which turns into a burning swing and burning child's rocking horse. The implication is that Israelis attack children at play, leaving behind burning swings and burning rocking horses.
2. A father reads his young son a section from the Koran calling to fight the enemies.
3. The father hands his young son a stone to throw at Israelis.
4. A bomb is hidden [by Israel] inside a soccer ball and blows up when a child kicks it.
5. Actors depict Israeli soldiers murdering an elderly man by shooting him in the head.
6. A mother and her infant are blown up by Israeli soldiers.
Mother of Suicide Bomber: "I'm Proud of My Son" (7.3.03)
IDF Spokesperson
On March 5, 2003, Mahmoud Hamdan Kwasma detonated the explosive belt he was wearing inside an Israeli bus, in the city of Haifa.Fifteen Israelis were murdered, and scores more were wounded, many of them school children and students. Many of the injured remain in critical condition.
The suicide bomber was 20 years old, a student of the Hebron Polytechnic University (from which a large number of suicide bombers have emerged) and a member of the Hamas terrorist organization.
The mother of the suicide bomber "Um Shadi", praised her son's deeds, and refused to act as if in mourning. The following is a translation of an article published on the Islamic Jihad's official website on March 6, 2003:
"The women swarmed around the Um Shadi, mother of Mahmoud Hamdan Kwasma, who carried out the suicide bombing on Wednesday in Haifa.They had come in order to praise her for the death of her son in the service of Allah.
In the Kwasma household, situated on the first floor of a building in the Alsheikh neighborhood in the city of Hebron, the Um Shadi served sweet coffee and 'Knaffe' (a sweet pastry eaten at celebrations)The Um Shadi was not dressed in the ritual black dress of mourning, and did not serve bitter coffee as is customary on solemn occasions. She received the guests who had come to "mourn" holding, with a mixture of pride and matriarchal pain, the picture of her son clad in a red head dress. The Um Shadi addressed the journalists and quoted a passage from the Koran: 'Do not treat those who have died for the path of Allah as dead, but rather as living with Allah and being fed by his hand. She added 'my son is a Shahid (martyr), my son is alive and being nurtured [by Allah] and he is not dead'. The Um Shadi went on to say 'I am proud of my son's deed, we must fight for our faith and not for our nation (the Palestinian nation)."
A senior Israeli security source emphasized that in the overwhelming majority of cases, parents of suicide bombers are supportive of the decision by their children to take part in suicide attacks. Mothers who send their sons off to perpetrate such acts gain recognition from organizations like Hamas, who give them the title "Hanas" - women who have attained a sacred level in Islam after (in the time of Mohammad the prophet) having sent four children to fight the infidels until death.
The Hamas uses these women in television interviews and in internet discussion forums to encourage other mothers to send their sons to perpetrate suicide attacks.
Palestinian Schools Which Encouraged Terror Closed By IDF
IDF Spokesperson
(15.1.03)
Last night, in a joint operation carried out by IDF ordnance units and companies from the 'Nahal' infantry brigade in Hebron, the entrances of three Palestinian colleges that openly encouraged terrorism were sealed closed. "The Palestinian Authority Education System incites terror and encourages murder," commented a high ranking Israeli security source, adding, "these three colleges endorsed terror and acts of vengeance as part of their curriculum". Before beginning to seal the doors of the colleges, the forces collected incitement materials found inside.
"We don't want to hurt the Palestinian population, but we must prevent incitement by their leadership"
The commander of the Nahal company that took part in last nights operation elaborated on the aims of the operation: "We do not in any manner wish to harm the innocent Palestinian population, however, we have a duty to prevent education that incites murder of Israelis. That is why we chose to go about the operation in the way that we did, by sealing the doors and blocking the entrance to the school in a manner that can be reversed, and not by demolishing the buildings".
At approximately 23:00, after a short briefing at the Nahal Brigade's base, ordnance forces, backed up by two Nahal infantry companies, entered the city of Hebron. A special IDF team from the Documentation Branch joined the forces operating in the area in order to collect the incitement of terror materials found in the colleges. The deputy commander of the Documentation Branch, Itsik, emphasized the main importance of exposing the propaganda incitement collected in order to increase global understanding of what we are fighting.
The first college to be sealed up in this operation was the Islamic College of Hebron. Upon entering the college campus, the soldiers asked the college guards to accompany them into the building. The guards agreed, and after entering the building, the forces began searches of the classrooms, the corridors and the offices. Outside the building was a sort of sheltered area over which the words: "It is holy to remember the martyr" was painted.
The whole of the first floor was decorated with banners upon which the "whole land of Palestine" was depicted, as well as slogans advocating the destruction of Israel.
Children's notebooks covered with pictures of "Martyrs" Being taught to hate from a young age
In the main office, situated on the first floor, soldiers were shocked to find a wide variety of incitement paraphernalia, including banners, posters, flags, CD's, tapes and even children's notebooks depicting the faces of suicide bomber "martyrs" on the cover. Some notebooks even depicted the "Martyrs tree", something which looks like an enormous family tree, but with the faces of all the "martyrs" on it.
Classrooms were filled to the brim with posters that praised suicide bombings and glorified the suicide bombers. "The Jihad is our path" proclaimed one poster, whilst another announced, "Sharon and Bush are pigs". Yet another poster declared "The glory of the Martyrs". These are but a few examples of incitement used to influence and abuse young Palestinian children.
Pictures of September 11th terror attacks found in classrooms
On the second floor, hundreds of cassettes made by the different terrorist organizations were found on which were slogans calling for the destruction of the State of Israel. When soldiers entered the second floor classrooms, they found boxes filled with folders on who's covers were pictures of the September 11th terror attacks next to pictures of armed Palestinians.
In ensuing searches, soldiers discovered that not only did the college distribute incitement materials, but had also incorporated it into the curriculum. Notebooks and textbooks with the Hamas symbols and slogans supporting acts of terrorism against Israel were found.
Sealing the doors
After the building had been thoroughly searched, and the incitement terror paraphernalia had been gathered up and taken away, the IDF ordnance forces started work to seal up the college's doors. This was done to prevent students from getting into the college, however not in the long term. Ordnance soldier Dubi explained: "A decision was taken not to demolish the building or to seal it in such a way that would be impossible to reverse, so as not to cause too much disruption to innocent students. The operation was a strong message to the Palestinian Authority and the college in particular that we do not agree to educating and abusing children in the values of murder or inciting terror against Israel."
By Nadav Shragai
Ha'aretz January 8, 2003
"Ask for Death the life will be given to you." This slogan, which was broadcast on Palestinian television on July 5th of last year, was also the headline chosen by the authors of Palestinian Media Watch as the title of their 40th research report. This report examines the social pressure exerted by the Palestinian Authority [PA] on children to die as "Shahids" [Death for Allah].
The written findings of the report are presented with a CD, which is not easy to watch. The televised evidence, includes educational films specially prepared for children that have been broadcast in the Palestinian Authority, texts from PA schoolbooks, and quotes from statements issued by political and religious figures in the Palestinian Authority.
One particular "educational" film clip, which was broadcast regularly during 2001 and 2002 as often as three times a day, shows a child writing a farewell letter to his mother in which he declares, "Rejoice over my death and do not cry for me," and also "How sweet is Shahada [Death for Allah] when I embrace you, my land." This text is recited over a backdrop of a picture showing the child falling to the ground "embracing" the earth.
One short broadcast shows the most famous child Shahid, Muhammad Al-Dura, whose death was captured on camera, apparently calling to Palestinian children, "Join me in Paradise." A child actor plays Al-Dura in fictional scenes of his life in Paradise, frolicking in an amusement park with a kite and on the beach.
"How pleasant is the fragrance of Shahids.I go with no fear or tears," says the fictional Al-Dura. The program begins with the caption, "I am waving not to part, but to say you, `Follow me.' And is signed: "Muhammad Al-Dura"
The report also displays texts that appear in widely-used school books published by the Palestinian Education Ministry, such as the "Song of the Shahid," which is found in four different publications. In one book, "Islamic Education for the Eighth Grade," on page 176, states that, "The Moslem sacrifices himself for his belief , and wages Jihad [Holy War] for Allah. He is not swayed, for he knows that the date of his death as a Shahid on the field of battle is preferable to death in his bed."
The November 2000 issue of "Al-Hayat Al-Jadida," a PA newspaper, quotes "The sports teacher of Wajdi Al-Hattab," [a 14 year old student] "responded to Allah's call and achieved the Shahada he yearned for."
The teacher relates that, "Wajdi asked me to give out cake when he becomes a Shahid." The newspaper also reports that Wajdi's classmates "swore that they would follow the path of Shahada until the liberation of Jerusalem."
The author of the report, Itamar Marcus, writes that many cultural programs "encourage Shahada and show approval for those who are killed. Many television broadcasts include songs and dances accompanied by photographs of violence and highlight how right it is to die for the sake of Allah."
Marcus gives the example of a song [broadcast 3 times on PA TV] that was composed in memory of Wafa Idris, the first woman suicide bomber. The song was recorded at a concert in Egypt, and it describes Idris as a "flower" and a "heartbeat of pride." "In death, you have brought life to our will," the song continues.
In the past Marcus and his institute issued a comprehensive report into Palestinian study material and helped to expose Yasser Arafat's "Hudaybia Speech," in which Arafat compared the Oslo Agreement with the Hudaybia Pact, which the prophet Muhammad signed expressly in order to break later. This time Palestinian Media Watch also brings relevant quotes from Yasser Arafat, who expresses his pride in the Shahids. In a speech given to children who were attending a summer camp, Arafat states, "You are the peers of Faris Ouda [a youth who planned his own death as a Shahid] Onwards together to Jerusalem." In response, the children call out, "Millions of Shahids marching to Jerusalem."
The report also brings examples of the statements issued by the parents of suicide bombers, in which they welcome their children's deaths, and express their satisfaction and joy. The mother of one boy who was killed states: "Praise to God, the Master of the Universe. I can raise my head up high and I have glory and pride. My son is a Shahid. But it is not just my son. All of the Shahids are my children."
The mother of Abbas Al-Awiwi states, "The greatest mother's day present I received this year is the death as a Shahid of Abbas."
Marcus and his staff also bring quotes from speeches delivered by religious leaders. Dr. Muhammad Ibrahim Madi stated on Palestinian television in June 2001: "Shame upon he who does not educate his children the education of Jihad. blessings upon he who dons a vest of explosives belt on himself or on his children and goes in to the midst of the Jews".
Sheikh Abd al-Razak stated on Palestinian television on 22nd March 2002: "..Allah has planted within our youth the love of Jihad, the love of Shahada. Our youth have turned into bombs, they blow themselves up among them [Israelis] day and night."
Marcus and his colleagues have concluded that, having been exposed to such messages, young Palestinian children from the ages of six till nine play "death" games and role-play the dead. Children between the ages of 10 to 13 express the will to die, sometimes in televised interviews, and from the age of 14 some even take part in suicide attacks.
* Note: The report with all the TV material will be available shortly on PMW web site. http://www.pmw.org.il.
Terrorist Dalal Mughrabi's name still used for USA funded school (18.8.02)
By Itamar Marcus,
Palestinian Media Watch
The Palestinians continue to refer to the school receiving USAID money as the Dalal Mughrabi School, named after terrorist Dalal Mughrabi, who murdered 36 Israelis and the American photographer Gail Ruben in the 1978 bus hijacking. Last week the PA Ministry of Education promised that the school would be renamed in order to receive the US funds which had been frozen. (See PMW August 11 Bulletin: PA Forced by US to Remove Terrorist's Name from School, at PMW website: http://www.pmw.org.il/bulletins-110802.html)
The following appeared a week after the school was "renamed".
"The Al-Shuyukh Sisterhood . celebrated the completion of its first summer camp, "Tomorrow's Generation", in the Dalal Mughrabi School in Al-Shuyukh. The camp was in session for 3 weeks, attended by 300 children. The ceremony included speeches by Abbas Zaki, a member of the PA Legislative Council, and by Muhammad Amran Al-Qawasmi, Director of Education and Culture in the Hebron District."
[PA Official Daily, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, August 16, 2002]
Palestinian Mother Proudly Prayed for her Son to Die, during her Pilgrimage [Haj] to Mecca (12.12.02)
By Itamar Marcus
Palestinian Media Watch
Introduction:
Palestinian TV frequently broadcasts interviews with parents who express joy that their children became Shahids, meaning they Died for Allah in confrontations with Israelis. This week PATV went further, interviewing a mother who had lost two sons, who proudly recounted that while on pilgrimage to Mecca she prayed that her son would die fighting Israelis. Afterward, the woman was given time to express at length her detailed wishes that Israelis should live in horror, suffering regular terrorist attacks: "I have one wish for all Israeli mothers, for all Israelis.They should not relax, they should not sleep peacefully, they should always have nightmares, night and day, wherever they go, and whatever they do... No Israeli of any kind should live in comfort. Even in their sleep, they should have nightmares. We will blow them up day and night, wherever they go... if I see an Israeli I will blow up among them."
Below are excerpts from her interview:
"I have one wish for all Israeli mothers, for all Israelis: They should not relax, they should not sleep peacefully, they should always have nightmares, night and day, wherever they go, and whatever they do... not only from bombings or attacks, but nightmares day and night. They should dream of how the Palestinian people kill them, and blow them up. They should not be relaxed, and should not sleep. Not them and not there sons, not their children, nor the Israeli army. They should not be able to travel on the buses, nor drive a tank, nor even ride a bike. Wherever they turn, the Israelis should see [someone] and say: "Maybe it's a Palestinian."
"This Jerusalem is our Jerusalem, and not yours. We are the children of Palestine, the Muslim nation, you will not live in comfort: not an Israeli's mother, nor a soldier's mother, nor a soldier's grandfather, nor a soldier's father. No Israeli of any kind should live in comfort. Even in their sleep, they will have nightmares. We will blow them up day and night, wherever they go. And I, as the mother of two Shahids, if I see an Israeli I will blow up among them."
Presenter: "Of course, We are always very proud of all of our Shahids."
"[My second son Naji] became a Shahid on Mar. 23, 2002, at the age of 20. Before I made my pilgrimage [to Mecca], he put his hands on my head and said: "Be calm, mother, be calm, this is my wish. Pray for me, that I will be a Shahid [Die for Allah]." When I did the circuit [an Islamic pilgrimage ceremony], in Mecca and Medina, I swear to Allah, that I prayed for him... And said: Praise Allah, my children asked for Shahada, and it is better than the way we will die. Their death is for Allah, death for our country, death for our Jerusalem."
[Palestinian Television 5/12/02]
`Shahids' - Children Educated to Hate & Kill
by Emanuel A. Winston, Middle East Analyst & Commentator
8 to 10 years ago a child by the name of Shahinez al-Souri would have been approximately 10 years old. Shahinez proved that Yassir Arafat's old curriculum so common in the Arab world and his newest textbooks in the Palestinian Authority had done their job. Shahinez was a prototype of a child trained to kill. She is now 20 and carried out the suicide bombing in Jerusalem January 27th killing one 81 year old man and wounding over 160. Shahinez was one of those children taught that it was a privilege and honor to be a `Shahid' (martyr for `Jihad' - Muslim holy war). This hatred was taught in Syria, Iran, Iraq, among the Palestinian children in Lebanon and the Palestinians in Gaza, Judea, Samaria, `et al'.
Remember Arafat's past M.O. (Modus Operandi) in the PLO mini-state he created in Lebanon that caused a 12 year civil war where 100,000 Muslims and Christians murdered each other. From 1970 when Arafat and his band of terrorists were kicked out of Jordan for threatening to take over King Hussein's Kingdom until 1982 when he and his army of terrorists which had grown exponentially were kicked out of Lebanon for planning a major assault against Israel by General Ariel Sharon. Arafat had young children, 10-12 years old, armed with Rocket-Propelled Grenades, called the RPG kids, up against the Israeli soldiers who hesitated to kill children and therefore put themselves in danger. Arafat has always been in the business of teaching children to sacrifice themselves for his `Jihad'.
Arafat was training children to hate and kill Jews (and Christians) while in the festering PLO refugee camps. Since no one at the deeply religious Al-Najah University in Nablus ever heard of Shahinez al-Souri, the hypothesis is that `Al-Souri' is a derivative of the place-name According to the DEBKAfile of January 28th states that "Al-Souri is not a Palestinian name, indicating that the bomber's origin from a village called `Sour' or even the Lebanese coastal town of Tyre. Sunday's suicide attack in Jerusalem may therefore presage the re-activation of the SSNP (Syrian Socialist National Party), in conjunction with Mughniyeh and Arafat. After sending children to their deaths, Arafat would have no compunction about sending women to make martyrs of themselves for the Palestinian people. Nevertheless, Shahines al-Souri clearly didn't decide to become a martyr at the age of 20 without years of conditioning.
Palestinian sources proudly named her the first Palestinian woman suicide. However, no one in Nablus or at the deeply religious university has ever heard of her. Islamic religious sages prohibit female martyrs but, there are many new interpretations of Koranic practices.
The hypothesis under examination in the initial stages of the inquiry is that the woman came from outside the country, from Lebanon, Turkey or Greece, on a mission for some external agency, with orders to collect her bomb-belt from a Palestinian source.
DEBKAfile's counter-terror experts postulate four possible agencies:
B. Imad Mughniyeh, the veteran Lebanese-Iranian arch-terrorist, who organized the kidnap of three Israeli soldiers in October 2000 and the clandestine sea route that sent the Karin-A smuggling vessel on its way to the Palestinians. Mughniyeh has employed women before, some Iranian, in his intelligence and terror networks.
C. Yassir Arafat's sleeper terror rings in West Europe, never activated in the current conflict and as dangerous as Mughniyeh's operation. And/Or
D. Iraqi military intelligence. (1)
Thousands of children now reaching maturity at 17-22 have been thoroughly indoctrinated and programmed to blow themselves up when called upon to become a `Shahid' as their path to Islamic heaven. They are truly Manchurian Candidates as popularized in a movie by that name of a brainwashed individual, programmed to kill at a signal.
The textbooks and curricula were evolved by the Palestinians but the money came from America and the European Union. Clearly, their objective was to give Palestinian children a better education, along with greater opportunities to advance themselves. But, Arafat and the PA had other plans. Their goal was to develop an army of children ready to kill Jews, even at the loss of their own lives.
When the American Congress, State Department and Administration, along with the European donors were given films of children pledging to kill themselves, they nevertheless continued to send money into Arafat's pockets. Presently, the E.U. has protested Israel's elimination of the Palestinian Authority's Broadcasting building because they had financed its construction. The Europeans made no protest when Arafat's PA broadcast programs from that building that are designed to enrage and incite the Palestinians into killing.
Arafat has just said that: "There are a million `Shahids' on their way to sacrifice themselves" - and, of course kill Jews. We have seen Arafat's children even at the age of 8 to 12 years act as human shields for his Tanzim terrorists. (Tanzim is the military wing of Force 17, Arafat's personal militia.)
Now we see these children trained 10 years ago, strap explosive belts on themselves and blow up a city block in downtown Jerusalem as their ticket to enter Muslim heaven, the promised Warriors' Paradise for Allah. How sad for these warped children and even worse for the innocents they murder and maim.
1. DEBKAfile January 28, 2002 "Mystery Women Suicide Blasts Jerusalem Main Street".
Mothers' "Martyrs" Millionaire (1.2002)
The mothers of three Palestinians killed in the Intifada have won a total of $100,000 in the Arab world's version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?"
The three women -- "martyrs' mothers" as they are known in Arabic -- have been accorded celebrity status in the Arab world. They were invited to Paris to take part in the Saudi-owned MBC satellite television game show, which hosted celebrities during the Ramadan.
Palestinian Children Yearning Martyrdom, Encouraged by Parents - Wajdi, a 14 year old: "When I become a Shahid [Martyr], give out cake"
Itamar Marcus, Director, PMW Special Report - NOVEMBER. 30, 2000
"When I become a Martyr, give out Kannafa" [sweet cake]. These are the words that 14-year-old Wajdi Al-Hattab often said to his friends in the days prior to his death in the riots, as reported in the official Palestinian Authority daily paper. The paper went on to report his 9th grade friends' reaction to his death: "they swore they would carry on, down the road of shahada [Martyrdom for Allah]." [Al Hayat Al Jadida, 9 November 2000].
A 12 year old boy who died in the fighting named Karam, so yearned for his own Martyrdom, that he wrote his own "death announcements" on the walls of his own home. [ibid, November 30, 2000]
The scene has been replayed over and over during the past two months: Palestinian children going up against Israeli soldiers, even in situations involving gunfire and life-threatening situations. Many children are wounded or even killed as a result. What motivates children to place themselves in such dangerous situations, so that at times it seems that they are seeking death?
From the PA media and education the apparent answer is that the children are pushed by their parents, teachers, friends and the education they receive in the Palestinian Authority schools glorifying death as Martyrs ["Shahid" - death for Allah] - as a supreme virtue. As the number of those killed rises, the Palestinian media extols and exalts not only those killed, but also their willingness to die as Martyrs for Allah, emphasizing that dying a Martyr's death was the realization of their hopes. By examining closely what the children and their parents are saying it is likely that there are young children who are going directly to areas of conflict with the clear goal of endangering their lives, in order to their please their parents, friends, and teachers.
The following are a number of stories among many that were prominently reported in the Palestinian media. In particular, note the positive attitude of parents toward their children's death, and the statements of injured children that they seek a higher goal, death and Martyrdom.
The Sources:
"The Martyr Wajdi Al-Hattab (9th grade) responded to the call of Allah and achieved the Martyrdom that he yearned for, so that it would clear the way for the liberation of Al Aksa and Palestine from the defilement of the occupation. He would always say to his friends: `When I become a Martyr, give out Kannafa [sweet cake]. He always spoke about his uncle who became a Martyr in southern Lebanon, and yearned to become a Martyr like him - and [now] he attained what he yearned for. He reached the highest levels with Allah. [Wajdi's gym teacher relates:] Wajdi asked me to give out Kannafa if he becomes a Martyr. His classmates swore that they would continue in the path of Martyrdom until the liberation of Jerusalem."[Al Hayat - Al Jadida, 9 November 2000].
"The danger of injury of the boy Saber Al-Ashkar (aged 18), paralysis and permanent disability, just added to his mother's determination to encourage her sons to participate in the Intifada riots.. and the fact of his injury by a live bullet did not cause her to mourn. She said that she had [previously] lost her older son Iyad, and described him as the first flower that appeared in her life. She is not interested in anything but encouraging her sons to self-sacrifice and Martyrdom for the land of Palestine." [Al Ayyam 1 November 2000]
"A PATV broadcast conducted conversations with 2nd grade school children. An interviewer spoke with a child who had thrown stones [in the riots]:
[Headline]: "The Boy Martyr Karam Al-Kard [age 12] announced of his own death on the walls of his home" [article text] "Prior to his being injured... Karam announced his own death on the walls of his home and attributed to himself Martyrdom and its honor, in his handwriting on the walls. The notice read: `The Al-Kard family announces the death of its courageous Martyr Karam Fat'he Al-Kard..." [Al Hayat Al Jadida, 30 November 2000]
"The Martyr Wajdi [aged 14, said] to his father: `I will bring you a Shahada (Martyrdom) that you will be proud of for the rest of your life'. His mother says: `My son is not my son only, he belongs to his noble Palestinian people. One of his friends said that the last words of the Martyr, that he repeated over and over, spoke of the significance of Martyrdom and on becoming a Martyr." [Al Hayat - Al Jadida, 8 November 2000].
[He] sacrificed his son (aged 18) in order to redeem the homeland and Jerusalem. He stated that becoming a Martyr is a tremendous source of pride and a medal on his chest... he added that his son always spoke about martyrdom and his desire to become a Martyr." [Al Hayat - Al Jadida, 9 Nov. 2000].
The Martyr Muhammad Abu Tahoun wrote down his final words on his notebook: `The Martyrs will attain Paradise, and I will be with them, Allah willing.'". [Al Hayat - Al Jadida, 9 November 2000].
"The father [of Mohammed Hiza' Halas, 23]: ... [He has] great pride that his progeny has become a Martyr .... With regard to his mother, she says that her offspring wished to become a Martyr and she anticipated it." [Al Hayat - Al Jadida, 2 November 2000].
"Our blood is a sign of our fighting for our precious Palestine". [A teacher, next to pupils on Palestinian Television, 2 November 2000].
"What pushes our children and youth to the arenas of death?... [Ramadan Saadi Abd Rabbo, an injured 13-year-old, said:] `my goal is not to be injured, but rather something higher: Martyrdom.'" [Al Hayat - Al Jadida, 8 November 2000]
"The wounded 11-year-old, Amr Qarut, wants to win the honor of a Martyr's death... and he insists on continuing the [violent] struggle." [Al Hayat - Al Jadida, 6 November 2000].
"The wounded Sa'ed Awad Allah [aged 11], from the Jaballiya [refugee] camp said: We are all potential Martyrs for Jerusalem and the Homeland" [Al Hayat - Al Jadida, 6 November 2000].
"We must battle until we achieve peace on our own and until our blood will not be spilled for naught, we must battle and die in order to attain all that we want." [8-year-old girl Halah Badir] [Al Ayyam, 2 November 2000].
"[22-year-old Hazem Mussa Abu Def's] brother... feels honor and pride from his brother's becoming a Martyr, ...and added that he intends to continue on the path started by his brother."[Al Ayyam, 2 November 2000].
This current promotion of Martyrdom is part of a long-term phenomenon in the Palestinian society. PA television in 1998 described two mothers' joy at their children's "Martyrdom" in the Intifada, as follows:
Mother of Muhammad ["martyred" in the riots]: "I hope that all my children will be martyrs." [PA TV - Sept. 9, 1998]
The "Stone Children" Do Not Fear the Bullets of the "Oppression"
The daily newspaper Alhayat Al Jadida (Oct. 30) printed a story entitled "The Stone Children Do Not Fear the Bullets of the 'Oppression," which explains the eagerness with which Palestinian children participate in the clashes with Israel.
The following is a translation of the article: (Click here to see the original story)
I wish to be photographed in a photo studio, because I have no pictures which will be published after I become a shahid. These were the opening words of the ten-year-old child Muhamad, from the Alma'azi Palestinian refugee camp, as he awaits his turn to have his picture taken with his friends, so that it will be published after he is killed and becomes a shahid.
This boy, as all Palestinian children, no longer fear death, and are not scared of the bullets of the oppression, and so at the end of their school day they make their way to the Dir Akbakah junction, near the settlement of Kfar Darom, where from their mouths are heard the cries of the nationalist slogans, and in their hands they carry Palestinian flags.
When the child Mahmud, who participates daily in the clashes against Israel, is asked why he carries his school bag, which may be burdensome to his stone throwing, he puts down his bag and opens it, and the big surprise was that the bag was full of stones. Mahmad smiled and said, "Now you understand?"
One boy, Mahmad's partner, pointed to his arm on which his name is written, and said, "I wrote my name on my arm so that I will be identified after I become a martyr (shahid)."
The generals of the stones continue daily the parade of blood, and continue to become shahids, in order to protect the homeland and the holy places. The bullets of the oppression hit hundreds of children and killed many children, most notably the shahid child Muhamad Aldura. Do not pity them, as they are not taken into consideration. Because these children stand with their chests exposed to the Israeli oppression machine, which kills them with premeditation, not because they pose a threat to Israeli lives, as Israel claims, but because they are Palestinians.
Palestinian kids perform a suicide bombing play in Gaza
Kids, as young as 10, participated in a memorial ceremony which took place in Gaza last weekend. The kids performed a play dressed as suicide-bombers. The demonstration was organized by the deadly Islamic Jihad in memory for three Palestinian kids who had recently died.
The demonstration began with 15 kids, all at the age of 10 or less, performing a play about suicide bombing in Israel. One of the kids was dressed as a suicide bomber - he had a black mask on his face, and he wore a suicide-bomb belt, made of aluminum paper. He and the rest of the kids sang "we will die for Allah (god)".
Another kid lay down in a box that looked like a coffin, which had the Israeli flag on top of it. Young girls also took part in the play and one of them held an Semi-Automatic weapon and one of her friends shouted into the microphone "rise up the flag of Jihad! (holy war)".
Leaders of Islamic Jihad have rejected the accusations of child abuse by saying "the Islamic nation and the Palestinian people, from children to the elderly, are willing to sacrifice themselves for the land."
Fadel Abu-Hayen, a child psychiatrist from Gaza, says that the participation of youngsters in such demonstrations is psychologically very detrimental to these children. Instead of being taught peace and coexietnce they are brian washed from an early age into believing violence is the answer, into believing they must kill Jews, and into believing their sole purpose in life is be a suicide bomber. "It makes them fear and they become more aggressive", he summarized.
The Motivation of Palestinian Children to Confront IDF Soldiers
The daily Palestinian newspaper Alhayat Al Jadida published on the 31st of October an article depicting the motivation of Palestinian children to confront IDF soldiers.
Following is the translation of the article: (Click here to see the original story)
"The martyr is lucky"
Most Palestinians believe the establishment of the state of Israel was a terrible mistake, an injustice involving the forcible relocation of many of their forebears. Indeed, Israel's very existence has never been accepted by many in the Arab world.
As a result of this perceived injustice, many Palestinians teach their children, from the very earliest ages, unbridled hatred toward Israelis.
But to free the children to act on that hatred, a second teaching is deeply inculcated throughout their childhood. The Palestinians teach explicitly, as do many Arab nations, that to die in the "jihad" -- holy war -- against Israel purchases the "martyr" instant acceptance into heaven. And it is a very red-blooded and lusty male heaven they are promised, characterized first and foremost by endless sex with a multitude of virgins.
Recently, the mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine, Sheik Ikrima Sabri -- the highest religious authority in the region -- was interviewed by the Egyptian weekly, Al-Ahram Al-Arabi about his admiration for child "martyrs." Dozens of Palestinian youths reportedly have died since late September in violent clashes with Israelis after the meltdown of the doomed Clinton-brokered "peace process."
"I feel the martyr is lucky because the angels usher him to his wedding in heaven," said the mufti, appointed by Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat. "There is no doubt that a child [martyr] suggests that the new generation will carry on the mission with determination. The younger the martyr, the greater and the more I respect him."
Lavishing praise specifically on the sacrifice of Palestinian children to the cause, Sabri reflected: "One [child martyr] wrote his name on a note before he died. He wrote: 'the martyr so and so.' In every martyr's pocket we find a note with his name on it. He sentences himself to martyrdom even before he becomes a martyr."
The interviewer then asked an incredible question: "Is this why the mothers cry with joy when they hear about their sons' death?"
"They willingly sacrifice their offspring for the sake of freedom," answered the mufti. "It is a great display of the power of belief. The mother is participating in the great reward of the Jihad to liberate Al-Aqsa."
In an apparent reference to the widely held belief that martyrs who die killing an infidel will be given 50 virgins in heaven, Sabri added: "I talked to a young man ... [who] said: '... I want to marry the black-eyed [beautiful] women of heaven.' The next day he became a martyr. I am sure his mother was filled with joy about his heavenly marriage. Such a son must have such a mother."
The Jerusalem Post's Oct. 27 edition revealed the shocking aftermath of the violent deaths of some Palestinian children.
"Interviewed by journalists after [recent] tragedies, some of the parents of these young victims refer to their children as shahids (martyrs), whose lives were given willingly and proudly to the Palestinian cause in fighting the hated Zionist enemy," wrote Post writer Gerald M. Steinberg.
"In an unbelievably shocking scene, one mother boasted that she bore her son precisely for this purpose, and the father proudly claimed credit for providing the training. The parents will also receive a sizeable financial 'reward' from the Palestinian Authority," he added.
The preparation for martyrdom begins early.
In a Palestinian television program called the "Children's Club," young children are shown singing songs about wanting to become "suicide warriors" and to take up "a machine gun" to direct "violence, anger, anger, anger" against Israelis.
During the show, which features children aged 4-10, one young boy sings, "When I wander into Jerusalem ... I will become a suicide bomber." Afterward, other children stand to call for "Jihad! Holy war to the end against the Zionist enemy." In another segment, a boy who appears to be no more than 8 or 9 years old chants: "My patience has run out. ... All Arab existence cries for revenge" against the Jews in Israel.
Joseph Farah - WorldNetDaily
By Jon E. Dougherty and David Kupelian
WorldNetDaily.com
Heavily armed Israeli soldiers shooting at innocent Palestinian children caught in the crossfire. That is the image that has dominated international press coverage of the five-week-old wave of violence that has wracked the Middle East, during which, according to some accounts, over 40 Palestinian children have died.
With each new report of youthful casualties, the perception of something unthinkable -- that Israeli soldiers are targeting children -- is reinforced in media coverage, a great deal of which tends to favor the perceived underdog in the clashes, namely the Palestinians.
The reality is indeed unthinkable, but not in the way so neatly portrayed by sound-bite media accounts of Palestinian children being shot by Israeli soldiers. Indeed, powerful and secret forces are at work in Palestinian nurseries, preschools, entertainment venues, classrooms and summer camps - forces that shape the current and future battles between Palestinians and Israelis, indeed, make them all but inevitable. However, up until recently, this amazing story has for the most part been hidden from Western eyes.
Palestinian children are taught to hate Jews, to glorify "jihad" (holy war), violence, death and child martyrdom almost from birth, as an essential part of their culture and destiny.
As captured on an Israeli video documentary produced in 1998, which readers can view here, a "Sesame Street"-like children's program called the "Children's Club" -- complete with puppet shows, songs, Mickey Mouse and other characters -- focused on inculcating intense hatred of Jews and a passion for engaging in and celebrating violence against them in a perpetual "jihad" until the day the Israeli flags come down from above "Palestinian land" and the Palestinian flag is raised.
In one song on the "Children's Club," very young children are shown singing songs about wanting to become "suicide warriors" and to take up "a machine gun" to direct "violence, anger, anger, anger" against Israelis.
During the show, which features children aged 4-10, one young boy sings, "When I wander into Jerusalem, I will become a suicide bomber." Afterward, other children stand to call for "Jihad! Holy war to the end against the Zionist enemy."
In another segment, a boy who appears to be no more than 8 or 9 years old chants: "My patience has run out. All Arab existence cries for revenge" against the Jews in Israel.
The documentary also juxtaposes the children's programming with television news reporting, in which the news anchor - reflecting the same message the children are receiving -describes Palestinians as "noble, courageous" fighters, while describing Israel as "mean, fascist, racist, genocidal" and "Nazis."
Other "highlights" of the "Children's Club":
"It's very scary - it's a state-run educational system that teaches its children to be martyrs," said Meyrav Wurmser, Ph.D., an expert in Middle East politics who taught at the U.S. Naval Academy and Johns Hopkins. Wurmser is the author of the recently published book, "Schools of Ba'athism," in which she makes a comprehensive survey and analysis of Syrian school textbooks. What she found is identical to what goes on with the Palestinians, she says.
"In the Palestinian case, what we see is the cynical use of children, who are exposed to a state-run ideology that pushes them to their death, in the name of Palestinian nationalism," she says. "Children are taught to idealize death, to view it as a positive. In many cases, they are told that death is not death at all, but rather the beginning of a new life."
Wurmser is currently the executive director of The Middle East Media & Research Institute, or MEMRI, and has published extensively on the Middle East and Arab and Israeli politics.
How can children be sold on dying in battle?
"The state threatens children if they're not willing to commit jihad," says Wurmser, "and tells them they will be punished by God if they do not commit jihad. If they do commit jihad, they and their families will be benefited by the state. [Their families] are promised major financial benefits if they kill themselves in suicide attacks against Israel."
To get over the fear, explained Wurmser, "they are told by their teachers that they're not going to die at all. There is definitely an element of denial they are exposed to."
This is not to say that some parents won't object to having their children converted to terrorists, says Wurmser, "but in the more religious families, there is no sense of sorrow. We see Palestinian mothers who have lost children - especially parents from very fundamentalist Muslim backgrounds -- who are not upset at all, but who say their sons have brought great honor to their families." This is typical, she says, of "radical national Arab regimes who have adopted the Islamic line."
This shocking assessment was bolstered in an Oct. 27 Jerusalem Post editorial, in which writer Gerald M. Steinberg provided details of statements made by Palestinians to reporters after their children had been killed in fighting.
"Interviewed by journalists after [recent] tragedies, some of the parents of these young victims refer to their children as shaheeds (martyrs), whose lives were given willingly and proudly to the Palestinian cause in fighting the hated Zionist enemy," Steinberg said.
"In an unbelievably shocking scene, one mother boasted that she bore her son precisely for this purpose, and the father proudly claimed credit for providing the training. The parents will also receive a sizeable financial 'reward' from the Palestinian Authority," he said.
"For a people who count Abraham (or Ibrahim) among their ancestors, this willful child sacrifice violates the fundamental tenets of morality and ethics," said Steinberg. "The message of Abraham's non-sacrifice of Isaac was, and remains first and foremost, the absolute rejection of such practices."
Middle East sources consulted by WorldNetDaily said the "Children's Club" is no longer being produced, but that other programs with similar messages and themes have taken its place.
Jerusalem cleric praises child 'sacrifices':
"The younger the martyr, the greater and the more I respect him"
By David Kupelian
WorldNetDaily.com
The Mufti of Jerusalem, the city's highest Muslim religious authority, is calling for the complete "liberation" by Palestinians not only of Jerusalem, but of all of Israel, and stresses that "sacrifice" and "martyrdom" of Palestinian children prove that "the new generation will carry on the mission with determination."
Speaking to the Egyptian weekly, Al-Ahram Al-Arabi, Sheik 'Ikrima Sabri, the Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine, addressed several issues regarding the Israeli-Arab conflict -- including his admiration for the child "martyrs." Over 40 Palestinian youths reportedly have died in the last six weeks of clashes between Palestinians and Israelis after the meltdown of the doomed Clinton-brokered "peace process."
"We haven't sacrificed enough yet to be worthy of liberating Al-Aqsa," said Sabri. "To liberate Jerusalem, Salah Al-Din Al-Ayyubi made great sacrifices for a long time, and we have to sacrifice until Allah's victory is completed ..."
Reiterating the long-held Arab nationalistic view that Mideast peace can only come if and when all of Israel is "liberated" and the Jews expelled from the region, the Mufti said: "The land of Palestine is not only Jerusalem; this land stretches from the [Jordan] River to the [Mediterranean] Sea. Naturally, the [Palestinian] problem relates to all of this land. We cannot establish a homeland by only liberating Jerusalem. It is true that Salah Al-Din did not rest until Jerusalem was liberated, but this does not suggest that the rest of this blessed land is to be neglected or given up. ..."
Stressing that "Every Palestinian is, in fact, in a state of Jihad," Sabri praised the Palestinian "martyrs," and particularly the children that are proudly thrust by their parents and other combatants into the frontlines of conflicts with Israelis.
"I feel the martyr is lucky because the angels usher him to his wedding in heaven," he said.
"There is no doubt that a child [martyr] suggests that the new generation will carry on the mission with determination," said the Mufti, appointed by Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat. "The younger the martyr, the greater and the more I respect him. ... One wrote his name on a note before he died. He wrote: 'the martyr so and so.' In every martyr's pocket we find a note with his name on it. He sentences himself to martyrdom even before he becomes a martyr."
In response to the interviewer's question, "Is this why the mothers cry with joy when they hear about their sons' death?" Sabri answered:
"They willingly sacrifice their offspring for the sake of freedom. It is a great display of the power of belief. The mother is participating in the great reward of the Jihad to liberate Al-Aqsa ... I talked to a young man ... [who] said: '... I want to marry the black-eyed [beautiful] women of heaven.' The next day he became a martyr. I am sure his mother was filled with joy about his heavenly marriage. Such a son must have such a mother."
Asked, "How do you feel about the Jews?" Sabri answered: "I enter the mosque of Al-Aqsa with my head up and at the same time I am filled with rage toward the Jews. I have never greeted a Jew when I came near one. I never will. They cannot even dream that I will. The Jews do not dare to bother me, because they are the most cowardly creatures Allah has ever created. ..."
Palestinian children are taught almost from birth to hate Jews and to glorify "jihad" (holy war) -- even to the point of their own death and "martyrdom" -- as an essential part of their culture. As WorldNetDaily reported recently, a Sesame Street-like television program called the "Children's Club," complete with puppet shows, songs and a Mickey Mouse character, celebrates violence and terror, teaching Palestinian children songs like "When I wander into Jerusalem, I will become a suicide bomber." A video documenting the children's program also shows kids singing songs about taking up "a machine gun" to direct "violence, anger, anger, anger" against Israelis. View video of the "Children's Club."
In the Oct. 27 Jerusalem Post, writer Gerald M. Steinberg revealed the shocking aftermath of the recent violent deaths of some Palestinian children.
"Interviewed by journalists after [recent] tragedies, some of the parents of these young victims refer to their children as shaheeds (martyrs), whose lives were given willingly and proudly to the Palestinian cause in fighting the hated Zionist enemy," Steinberg said.
"In an unbelievably shocking scene, one mother boasted that she bore her son precisely for this purpose, and the father proudly claimed credit for providing the training. The parents will also receive a sizeable financial 'reward' from the Palestinian Authority," he added.
Not all Palestinians agree with sacrificing their children for the sake of the "Jihad" against Israel, however.
Recently, a pro-Palestinian Arab journalist with the London-based Arab daily, Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, condemned the use of children in the struggle with Israel:
"Some Palestinian leaders ... consciously issue orders with the purpose of ending their childhood, even if it means their last breath," wrote Huda Al-Husseini in the Oct. 27 edition.
"I want to know why we, the Arabs, insist on dying instead of living for our homeland," she said. "If these children have nothing to lose, and they think the training is ... a game, are we supposed to continue pushing them with hypocrisy and stupid enthusiasm to actually lose their lives? Have we exhausted all means, and every argument, have we exhausted ... our brains, having nothing left but to gamble with the lives of children and push them to confront Israel? Or maybe the Palestinian leaders -- those who are in the PA or those who are getting ready to fill a role in it -- put their trust in the humanity of Israel? If this is what they do, then they are wrong.
"What kind of independence is built on the blood of children while the leaders are safe and so are their children and grandchildren?" she asked. "Are only the miserable destined to die in the spring of their lives? Those children who are killed may not, in their short lives, have enjoyed a fresh piece of bread, sleeping in a warm bed, the happiness of putting on a new piece of cloth, or carrying books with no torn pages to school."
Arguing that "the time of Arafat and the people around him has reached its dusk," the Palestinian journalist and activist chastised the dominant culture of the Palestinians today:
"First of all, these children deserve to live, before we push them to find death. But what are we doing to them? We abuse their innocence, we supply them with tons of stones, while we sit in our offices and commend their death. Then we accept an invitation for a working lunch or dinner and talk about those children who died holding stones, those that died, probably hungry."
Translation into English of Oct. 28 Al-Ahram Al-Arabi interview with Sheik 'Ikrima Sabri and Oct. 27 Al-Sharq Al-Awsat article by reporter Huda Al-Husseini was done by the Middle East Media and Research Institute, MEMRI, an independent, non-profit organization providing translations of the Arab media and original analysis and research on developments in the Middle East.
Excerpt from "Incitement, lies, and videotape"
BBC Video about kids pushed to die in the riot.
Andrea Levin
The Jerusalem Post June 8, 2001
NBC's Martin Fletcher was immediately accused of "forgery and manipulation" (by the Palestinian government) when he presented a rare look on May 8 at the overt Palestinian recruitment of their own children to sacrifice themselves as martyrs. Using video footage taken from Palestinian television (provided by the monitoring group, Palestinian Media Watch), Fletcher reported: "They are using a stunning tactic - commercials on Palestinian TV asking children to drop their toys, pick up rocks, and do battle with Israel. They are even using actors to recreate the most famous image of the uprising - one that shocked the world - 12-year-old Mohammed al-Dura dying in his father's arms, caught in the crossfire of a confrontation between Israelis and Palestinians. The commercial shows al-Dura in paradise urging other children to 'follow him.'"
Children are seen in the Palestinian video putting down their toys to choose martyrdom. Death is presented as serene and happy, a place of sunlit green fields and reunion with friends. (In segments not shown on NBC, but broadcast as part of the "commercial" on Palestinian television, "paradise" also reveals al-Dura frolicking at a beach, at an amusement park and flying a kite in a tree-lined meadow.) Fletcher also takes the NBC camera to Gaza where children assembled in military-style ranks in a schoolyard are challenged to set aside their fears. They shout: "We ask Allah to destroy the Jews." Children are seen training for military confrontation.
Why have members of the media, with but a few admirable exceptions, failed to report systematically on the avid and pervasive Palestinian campaign to raise up new generations devoted to the destruction of Israel? Why is Arafat almost invariably given a pass by the media on his outrageous and inflammatory lies about Israel and calls to war?
Is it because of Palestinian intimidation (over the last eight months reporters have repeatedly been beaten, "detained," and threatened by the Palestinians), or perhaps because of media reluctance to break from the herd mentality that dominates Middle East coverage and chooses to portray Israel as the "heavy?"
Whatever the explanation, none is acceptable. There is only the unacceptable result: media dereliction and silence.
(The writer is president of the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America).
The Joy of the Mothers of Palestinian 'Martyrs'
By Aluma Solnick*
The religious devotion of suicide bombers before they embark on their attacks, the joy shown even by children who express their will to become "martyrs", and the customary jubilation of mothers and families when hearing of their sons' deaths reveal how deep rooted in Islamic history the concept of "Martyrdom" (Shahada) and its affect on the Intifada.
The Palestinian press repeatedly exalts the religious status of the martryr [Shahid] for the sake of Allah. The Chief Mufti of the PA Police, Sheik Abd Al-Salam Skheidm, for example, specified in 1999, long before the Intifada, the rewards the Shahid earns according to the Islamic tradition: From the moment his first drop of blood spills, he feels no pain and he is absolved of all his sins; he sees his seat in heaven; he is spared the tortures of the grave; he is spared the horrors of the Day of Judgment; he is married to [70] black eyed [women]; he can vouch for 70 of his family members to enter paradise; he earns the crown of glory whose precious stone is worth all of this world."[1]
With the outbreak of the Intifada, the descriptions of the Shahids' virtues have increased in the Palestinian media: funerals of Shahids are described as weddings[2] and thousands come "to congratulate"[3] the family and "celebrate" the "wedding."
A week before the latest Tel-Aviv suicide bombing, the Mufti of the PA, Sheik Ikrima Sabri, discussed this issue in a Friday sermon at the Al-Aqsa mosque: "the Muslim loves death and martyrdom, just as you [Jews] love life. There is a great difference between he who loves the Hereafter and he who loves this world. The Muslim loves death [and he seeks] Martyrdom.[4]
Sheik Abd Al-Halim 'Ayyash from Jerusalem explained that "a Shahid has a high rank and value in Islam, in both this world and the Hereafter. The strive for Martyrdom is a desired virtue in Islam, but not every soul is capable of it, because someone who strives for Martyrdom must have a high degree of faith, religious determination, devotion, and loyalty to supreme religious and national causes."[5]
In Islamic history there are many examples of the jubilation in Martyrdom. Sheik Shaker Al-Natsheh from Jerusalem recalled the case of the poet Al-Khansaa who, before converting to Islam, cried until she became blind when she heard of her brother's death; but, once she converted to Islam, she rejoiced when she heard of her four sons' deaths in the battle of Al-Qadesyia.[6] Sheik Sabri mentioned in his sermon the sublime way in which the Prophet [Muhammad] had instructed his followers to react to Martyrdom: "Before the [Muslim] army returned to Al-Madina, the Prophet went to the house of Ja'far [bin Abi Taleb who was martyred] and asked his wife to wash her children and dress them with clean garments..."[7]
The religious concept of Martyrdom is evident in statements attributed by the media to relatives of Shahids, and to the Shahids themselves. Sa'id Al-Hotari who committed the suicide bombing in Tel-Aviv, left a will which expresses faith in the divine reward that awaits him: "There is nothing greater than being martyred for the sake of Allah, on the land of Palestine. Cry in joy, my mother, hand out candy, my father and brothers, for your son awaits a wedding with the black-eyed in heaven..."[8] The mother of 14 year-old Muhammad Sha'rawi tells of her son who was killed in the clashes: "He had sought martyrdom and found it... He always said he would die as a Shahid and asked me not to cry for him or be sorry, because he was going to Heaven."[9] The father of 13 year-old Muhammad Hils said that his son "kept talking all the time about Martyrdom. He used to talk with his friends about the benefits of Martyrdom and the high status of the Shahids by their God."[10] Also, the sister of Lutfi Mas'ud who was killed 40 days after his brother, Mahmoud, explained that her tears "are tears of anger towards the murderer [who killed her brother] and not tears of sorrow, because one should not be sorry for a Shahid."[11]
The belief that a Shahid is rewarded with eternal life next to Allah derives from the Koran: "Consider not those who have died for the sake of Allah as dead but rather as alive, who are being nurtured by their Lord."[12] The belief that a wedding with the black-eyed awaits the Shahid in the heavens explains, in part, the customary jubilation that accompanies the news of his death. This phenomenon has provoked claims in the West that Palestinian mothers are happy with the death of their sons, and prompted some Palestinian explanations.
Sheik Abd Al-Halim 'Ayyash says: "The family of the Shahid, and especially his mother, are sorry, are in pain, and even crying... [after all] death is death. However, when the dead is a Shahid, the issue is somewhat different. The Shahid has secured himself, and possibly his family too, a place in Heaven... In other words, this dead person is not like others who die. It has nothing to do with the human aspect of this issue, since sorrow is sorrow. The jubilation that accompany's the funerals of Shahids do not sincerely express the psychological state of the Shahid's parents, and especially his mother's. Death always causes pain and sorrow and the jubilation may [mean] an acceptance of Allah's verdict."[13]
In an article titled "The Tears of Sorrow and the Cries of Happiness", columnist Hussein Abu Tawahna explains how the mother can combine these two contradictions: "The Al-Aqsa Intifada is a struggle in which a physical aspect and an emotional aspect mix. Physically, when a son, a brother, or a husband is martyred, the tears flow because of the [pains of] the departure. The belief is that a man who is martyred is, in fact, alive and exists next to his Lord. Therefore, the tears are for the departure and the jubilation is for the reward [that awaits the Shahid]."[14]
The mother of Hilal and Bilal from the village of Ya'bad who were killed on the same day describes how the religious belief helps her overcome the pain: "During the day, when I try to forget and calm myself. I follow the Koran and thank Allah and ask for forgiveness for my children, and especially when I hear that the Shahids [belong] in Heaven. I ask Allah to forgive them and recite the verses of the Koran that I know by heart. However, when I am alone even for some moments, I live with them and imagine all their movements... then I feel the pain exhausting me."[15] Another mother whose son was killed describes her feelings when she received the news of his death: "I felt deep sorrow, but the fact that my son dies as a Shahid cooled the fire in my heart and alleviated my pain."[16]
Columnist Husam Badran explains: "Martyrdom is, ultimately, a loss. However, it is a loss through distinction. The Shahid's mother finds in this distinction a refuge, some sort of compensation for her pain and loss. She seems psychologically balanced because she believes the marytr is one of the birds of Heaven, if he dies as a child, or one of the guards of Heaven, if he died as a youth. Therefore, crying is considered shameful for the mother and family of a Shahid. She is required to accompany him with cries of jubilation to his grave, as if he is a groom who did not complete... his marriage."[17]
Farid Hamad, an Arabic language teacher, pointed to the relationship between the matrimonial processions of a Shahid and those of a groom on his wedding day. The groom is the most important person on his wedding day and the center of attention for the family and village. Of course, the Shahid has an important [social] status on his day of death. The groom leads the parade towards his bride, while the Shahid, is led through the procession as well.
According to Hamad, the cries of jubilation are an attempt to rise above the wounds and, possibly, an attempt to upset the occupation - as if the Shahid's relatives scream in the face of the occupation: "We ignore you, we are winning." The calls of jubilation, the candies that are being handed out at the funerals of Shahids, and the sweet coffee that is given to the people, rather than bitter coffee in other funerals, are an attempt to rise above the wounds. "A Culture of Martyrdom" has developed in Islam. The Muslims strive for Martyrdom because it places a person on the level of the Prophets... It is true, that [at the beginning of Islam], there were no ceremonial jubilations when one of them was martyred, however, customs change from one period to another and from one society to another."[18]
I'tidal Al-Jariri, a psychologist and a member of the Palestinian Association for Working Women, explains that "at first, it may seem to us that the jubilation of the Shahid's mother, wife, or sister signifies happiness for the Martyrdom - a kind of death [others also] wish to achieve. Since it is my belief that nobody wants to die and that life is precious for any person, the Shahid's mother or wife cry in jubilation in order to comfort their souls, as if they say: "This is the kind of death any Palestinian would wish, let alone that it took place right here. Of course, society and the media play an important role as well in establishing these ceremonies. Psychologically, the Shahid's mother feels deep sorrow and the signs of her loss become apparent after a while, when the social solidarity surrounding her disappears... The jubilation is a kind of relief. When the mother begins the cries of joy, she tries to unload feelings of anger she cannot express. This cry is very different than the cry of sorrow. Society legitimizes this kind of jubilation rather than other forms of relief... The jubilation and calling Shahids' funerals weddings is a kind of deception of emotions in order to adapt to the common social position. The world must understand that there are certain social criteria that force the Palestinian mother to express [her joy] in this manner; some narrow-minded people may interpret this as happiness in death, but this is not the case. These cries do not express the inner emotions of the mother or wife. The Palestinian centers for psychological guidance witnessed many women who still suffer of what may be called "a loss-crisis."[19]
Author Ghassan Zaqtan, also explained that in his view the cries of jubilation and other gestures that accompany Martyrdom rituals are "a defense mechanism invented by man in order to turn the sad loss into faked happiness in an attempt to evade the great loss."[20]
*Aluma Solnick is a Research Associate with MEMRI.
[1] Al-Hayat Al-Jadida (PA), September 17, 1999.
[2] Al-Hayat Al-Jadida (PA), January 13, 2001.
[3] Al-Hayat Al-Jadida (PA), November 30, 2001.
[4]Voice of Palestine Radio, May 25, 2001.
[5] Al-Youm Al-Thamin, Al-Ayyam (PA), March 15, 2001.
[6] Al-Youm Al-Thamin, Al-Ayyam (PA), March 15, 2001.
[7]Voice of Palestine Radio, May 25, 2001.
[8] Al-Risala (PA), June 7, 2001.
[9] Al-Quds (PA), December 1, 2000.
[10] Al-Hayat Al-Jadida (PA), April 10, 2001.
[11] Al-Istiqlal (PA), November 23, 2000.
[12] Koran, 3:169.
[13] Al-Youm Al-Thamin, Al-Ayyam (PA), March 15, 2001.
[14] Al-Manar (PA), December 4, 2000.
[15] Al-Hayat Al-Jadida (PA), November 18, 2000.
[16] Al-Youm Al-Thamin, Al-Ayyam (PA), March 15, 2001.
[17] Al-Youm Al-Thamin, Al-Ayyam (PA), March 15, 2001.
[18] Al-Youm Al-Thamin, Al-Ayyam (PA), March 15, 2001.
[19] Al-Youm Al-Thamin, Al-Ayyam (PA), March 15, 2001.
[20] Al-Youm Al-Thamin, Al-Ayyam (PA), March 15, 2001.
Quotes by Palestinian Parents of their Will that their Children Will Die (4.7.02)
This page was originally published in the IsraelForum.com bulletin-boards on the 4.7.02.
Palestinian Authority spokesperson Hanan Ashrawi rebuked NBC journalists when they challenged that Palestinians are teaching their children to become murderers, stating that only monsters would do such things. Despite real resistance among some Palestinians to seeing their children participate in the violence, the PA is achieving increasing success in inciting hate within its people.
Mother Promotes Killing and Death- New PA TV Clip (3.10.02)
Palestinian Media Watch
While the PA sends out peace messages to the world through their English language spokespeople they continue to send messages of killing and death to their own people, this time coming from a mother.
In a new film clip on PA TV, five civilian [non-uniformed] gunmen, armed with automatic rifles, go off to fight Israelis. One of the gunmen is seen running towards Israeli fire until he attacks the Israelis with a hand grenade, after which, in slow motion, he is shot and falls dead to the ground.
When his body is brought to his mother she kisses him and raises her hand above her mouth and calls out the traditional Arab call of joy. Afterwards, she stoically hands the rifle to the next in line to continue the killing of Israelis.
The PA message to their people "Kill and be Killed" has never ceased.
It should be reiterated that the Palestinians have been both encouraging children to seek heroic death, as well as encouraging parents to express joy at having their children die in battle in Shahada [Death for Allah]. In a recent PMW bulletin we cited the "Farewell Letter" clip shown on PA TV last week in which a child writes to his parents: "Mother don't cry over me, be joyous over my blood." This two clips compliment each other - one is from the child's perspective - expressing the willingness to die; one is from the parent's perspective - the joy over her child's death as a Shahid. The two are indicative of the continued glorification of death as Shahids inherent to PA social ideology.
Palestinian Authority renews efforts to have Palestinian children die in confrontations (1.10.02)
By Itamar Marcus, Palestinian Media Watch
PMW has documented in the past the Palestinian Authority's [PA's] tactic of encouraging children to seek heroic Shahada - death for Allah, and then using the numbers of dead children in their PR war against Israel.
A PMW bulletin last week noted the PA's recent attempts to brings crowds of violent demonstrators into the streets, in an attempt to change the image of the terrorist war to that of a popular uprising.
Now the PA has combined the two tactics, once again encouraging children to die as part of the "popular uprising", as they have renewed the broadcasting of one of the most odious PA video clips, the "Farewell letter" clip. In the clip a child writes a farewell letter to his parents, glorifying his desire to die, and then places himself in front of Israeli soldiers during a violent riot where he is shot and dies, achieving his goal. As he falls his words are sung: "How sweet is Shahada [death for Allah] when I embrace you my land."
The renewal of this clip now is an indication that the PA, after having their image destroyed worldwide due to their backing of suicide bombers, wants to portray themselves and their children as victims, by having large numbers of dead children to report to the press.
[As a post script it should be noted that the PA seems to be accomplishing its goal already, as in today's papers the PA announced the death "as Shahids" of 2 children, aged 10 and 13, which they described as cold blooded intentional murder, as they always do in their PR conscious press releases.]
The following is the text of the farewell letter sung during the clip.
"Do not be sad, my dear,
And do not cry over my parting,
my dear father,
For my country, Shahada [death for Allah].
"Do not be sad, my dear
And do not cry over my parting,
my dear father,
For my country, I shall sacrifice myself!"
[Scenes of children rioting against soldiers, the boy running with his friends, throwing stones.]
The letter continues:
"With determination and desire
I long to approach."
[The boy is shot in his chest and falls to the ground.]
the letter continues:
"How sweet is Shahada [death for Allah]
When I embrace you, my land!"
Here the boy's mother is seen crying. The letter continues:
"My beloved, my mother, My most dear,
Be joyous over my blood and do not cry for me."
The message of this song to Palestinian children is clear: It should be a child's wish and goal to die in confrontations with Israel.
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