The demonization of Israel and incitement to violence against the Jewish state is widely reported in a magazine published by the youth movement of the ruling Palestinian Authority party, Fatah, a new study from Palestinian Media Watch has revealed.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
According to the NGO, which reviewed 17 issues of Waed published between December 2014 and September 2021, the magazine praises terrorists who murdered Israelis and advocates a Palestinian state instead of Israel.
PMW presented its report in person to Norwegian lawmakers on Wednesday, while the PA funding liaison committee is due to meet in Oslo.
The various editions mention in particular "the giant Israeli killing machine" and accuse Israel of behaving like "Nazis."
The PA/Fatah teaches children that Israelis are colonialist invaders, that Israel has no right to exist, and that it's replacement by Palestine is inevitable.
As donor countries gather in Oslo for #AHLC, ask yourself, should they really be funding this? https://t.co/pVgJcDdwI9
— Pal Media Watch (@palwatch) November 17, 2021
According to the magazine, Palestinians have "the right to wage an armed struggle to reclaim their stolen homeland" through attacks on civilians, the attacks being called "daring operations of sacrifice."
The youth movement is aimed at Palestinian children aged 6 to 15 and its magazine is distributed in summer camps and schools.
"The period of Zionism will eventually fade," the magazine explains, according to PMW, and "there are no invaders who were not defeated by [Palestine] in the end, and that's what will happen to the Zionist invaders."
Meanwhile, a new senate bill seeks to counter antisemitism and incitement in Palestinian classrooms.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La) introduced a bill on Tuesday that seeks to address whether Palestinian students are being taught inaccurate or racist content about Israel and the Jewish people.
The bill, dubbed the "Peace and Tolerance in Palestinian Education Act," would require the US secretary of state to submit annual reports examining the curriculum Palestinian schools are using to teach students. The reports would also review whether Palestinian curricula encourage racist violence against Jews and whether US foreign aid is supporting such material.
"The Middle East will never experience peace until Palestinians stop teaching their kids to hate Israel, and American dollars should not fund this anti-Jewish propaganda," said Kennedy in a statement. "The Peace and Tolerance in Palestinian Education Act would give us a closer look at what Palestinian schools are teaching and whether or not American money is supporting antisemitism."
The proposed legislation seeks to address growing concerns over educational materials being used by the Palestinian Authority and UNRWA. In particular, reports have highlighted the ongoing anti-Semitic hate and incitement in UNRWA schools.
The watchdog group IMPACT-se said it has been working with US lawmakers and officials in the Biden administration to educate them on concerning trends in the Palestinian curriculum.
"The United States is now the most significant supporter of UNRWA, having recently restored $318 million in annual aid – 60% of which will go towards education," said IMPACT-se CEO Marcus Sheff.
"Clearly, that amount of funding brings with it a great deal of leverage, a duty of care to Palestinian children in UNRWA schools and a responsibility to demand change to the textbooks UNRWA teaches. As we have discussed with the administration, transparency, oversight and accountability to ensure compliance with international standards are paramount."
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
Last week, the United States abstained on a UNRWA vote in the United Nations that largely targeted Israel for its treatment of Palestinians. It was met with pushback from the Jewish community.
UNRWA is currently holding an international donors conference in Brussels. Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan has warned that the agency helps to "perpetuate" the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and urged donor nations to provide financial support to UNRWA if changes are made within the agency.
