The Philadelphia Bulletin: Palestinian Authority Incitement Becomes an Issue

by David Bedein

Jerusalem - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed the Israeli Knesset Parliament Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee last week that, for the first time since the inception of the negotiation process with the P.L.O. in 1993, the Israeli government has announced an official policy to monitor virulent incitement from official media outlets of the Palestinian Authority (P.A.).

Mr. Netanyahu has appointed the former head of Military Intelligence’s research department as government coordinator for incitement in the P.A. 

“We will set parameters by which to measure the level of incitement,” Mr. Netanyahu told the committee. “People must know exactly what is happening on this issue because, for a peace agreement, education toward peace and acceptance of Israel are needed.”

An “incitement index” will be produced by monitoring broadcasts in the official P.A. media, statements and actions by senior P.A. officials and textbooks, according to senior Israeli government officials. All of these will be examined for incitement, encouraging an atmosphere of violence and/or manifestations of anti-Semitism.
The Israeli government was particularly outraged by the P.A.’s plan to hold a ceremony on Wednesday to name a square in Ramallah in honor of the late Mrs. Dalal al-Mughrabi, one of the Palestinian terrorists who landed a small dingy on a beach in Israel, murdered an American photographer, Gail Rubin, the niece of the late U.S. Senator Abraham Ribicoff, and then commandeered a passenger bus where they proceeded to murder 37 Israeli citizens. After pressure was brought to bear from both the Israeli and American governments, the ceremony was canceled.

The Bulletin has learned that Vice President Biden, now on an official visit to the Middle East, made a direct request that the P.A. cancel the ceremony that honors a terrorist.

Meanwhile, recent examples of Incitement from official channels of the Palestinian Authority include:

February 26, 2010: P.A. Prime Minister Salam Fayyad stated that the Al-Ibrahimi mosque site in Hebron [the Machpelah] is “an inseparable part of Palestinian lands occupied in 1967, as is the Gaza strip and eastern Jerusalem.”

According to NAM News Network:

“After performing Friday prayers (which were held at the Al-Ibrahimi mosque) Fayyad said that the Palestinian people stand together in facing the Israeli decision to list Al-Ibrahimi mosque and Rachel Tomb (sic) - a mosque - both on Palestinian land, as Israeli UNESCO (sic) heritage sites.

“He stressed that Israel by this, breaches international law, having no claim over the land, which the Palestinians have full rights to.”

He further warned of an increased risk of violence as a result of the Israeli government decision on the sites, adding “we are all united against the decision of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and against the terror of the settlers.”

Several sources reported that Mr. Fayyad accused Israel of having “annexed” the site.

February 23, 2010: P.A. President Mahmoud Abbas referred to the decision of the Netanyahu government to add the Machpelah in Hebron and Kever Rachel outside of Bethlehem to the list of national Heritage sites as a “severe provocation” that could lead to a “war of religions” and possibly a new intifada.

See this report at Israel Behind the News