Yesterday June 1970
Today June 2005
PA Television Continues to Teach Children to Become "Martyrs" Arab Press
The Palestinian Authority continues to promote “martyrdom” in its state-produced children’s television programs, according to a report by Palestinian Media Watch (PMW).
“Shahada, or
death for Allah, has been the backbone of the Palestinian Authority's messages
to its children since the start of the terror war in September 2000," states the
Wednesday report. "Although the number of these messages has been reduced in
recent months, the promotion and glorification of child Shahada continues
nonetheless, as seen this week on PA TV.”
The report cites a broadcast of
a PA TV series named “The Palestinian Diaspora.” The series is presented daily
as a factual portrayal of history. Though throughout the series, Israel's
creation and ongoing existence have been presented as injustices that must be
fought, this past week’s episode honed in on the issue of child
martyrdom.
Click here to view
the clip from the show
This week’s episode, set in 1956, shows
Arabs mourning Israel's existence. A 12-year-old refugee is shown reading his
uncle a story he wrote.
“The scene has two explicit messages,” write PMW’s Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook. “[They are:] A child
should be willing and anxious to fight and die in order to destroy Israel, [and
that] Arab 'refugees' can never resettle, but must 'return' to
Israel.”
An excerpt from the clip, broadcast on PA TV on June 16:
[The scene opens with the 12-year-old boy's friend writing, "I shall
return" over a map he drew of “Palestine,” covering all of
Israel]
12-year-old Arab Boy: "His mother cried and said, 'My son! Swear
to me! Don't leave me alone…! I'm afraid you will be killed.'
"Her son
said to her, 'Don't cry, my mother! Let me go and fight for the sake of the
homeland. The enemy stole our beautiful land… We all must fight in order to
redeem the lost paradise… We lived in joy and happiness, until the foreign enemy
[Israel] came and expelled us from our land, and we became refugees in tents.
But we will return, by Allah's will!'
"His mother told him, 'Farewell, my
son. Allah be with you.' He kissed her and left to fight, and fought until he
became a Shahid [martyr for Allah]."
The Boy’s Uncle: "...Let me ask you,
if they come and tell you, ‘we will give you a very big house, a car, land and
money, just resettle!’ Would you agree?"
Boy: "No!"
Uncle: "...the
homeland is greater than individual possessions."
