Counterterrorism Blog

The Palestinian Media Watch, an Israeli-based organization which examines Palestinian culture, today released an important new report on the content of textbooks introduced at the end of last year into the 12th grade in schools run by the Palestinian Authority. The books lie about the U.S., Israel, and the West in general, and brainwash the kids into believing that terrorist attacks against us are appropriate and meritorious. At a press conference today with PMW to announce the report, Sen. Hillary Clinton branded the textbooks as "indoctrination" and part of a campaign which "poisons minds" of Palestinian children against any tolerance of Israel and the West.

The report took whole sections of the textbooks and translated them into English, and the translations are stunning in their hatred and radicalism. To quote from the report, "The PA schoolbooks teach that fighting Israel is not merely a territorial, nationalistic conflict, but a religious battle for Islam. The educators define the conflict with Israel as "Ribat"- a concept from Islamic tradition signifying Muslims defending the border areas of Islam." Israel's founding is described as "a catastrophe that is unprecedented in history," and the kids are taught to envision a world in which Israel does not exist. Israel is referred to repeatedly as “the Zionist enemy;" “the enemy of this people;” and "the Zionist gangs.” Hezbollah is described as "Lebanese resistance for its liberation," and the books teach that any country trying to prevent terrorism is guilty of violating international law. Quoting again, "The PA textbooks teach that everyone participates in Jihad, especially when it becomes necessary, as with the war to fight Israel and liberate 'Palestine.'"

The U.S. doesn't fare much better: "Both from what the PA has included about the United States as well as what was omitted, it is clear that the educational goal is to present the US as an enemy of the Arabs and Palestinians." Terrorist attacks against U.S, and British soldiers are described as "brave resistance," while U.S. economic aid for the PA is completely omitted, even though we have been among the chief providers of aid to the Palestinian people.

The lies and hatred taught to Palestinian schoolchildren are discussed in detail for pages in this report. You can download it in Acrobat or a Word document from the PMW site.

The question I have is whether the U.S. should continue funding the PA and the hate-filled textbooks used in indoctrinating Palestinian youth. Last week, former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy, who helped put the 1993 WTC bombers behind bars, proposed a cessation of all funding after another attack by Aqsa Brigades terrorists, who are tied to Abbas, Fatah, and Hezbollah. Obviously, American taxpayers' funds have already been used to brainwash Palestinian kids into hating America and their own neighbors. Hopefully Congress, when passing foreign aid appropriations for the next fiscal year, will either cut off all aid or condition further aid on a change in the PA educational system to excise the hate.