One week ago today, an Israeli Arab gunned down eight young Jewish students in one of Israel's most prestigious yeshivas. The terror attack shocked Israel and made news around the world. Less well known is how the official media of the Palestinian Authority (PA) reacted to the terror attack.
The following is a notice from an organization called the "Palestinian Media Watch." Not to be confused with the media of the Palestinian Authority, this organization monitors the PA newspapers, radio and television and often finds examples of how the PA media encourages hatred toward Israel and the Jews.
The following report shows how the PA described the killer of the young students. Many people have found it shocking. If you would like to read the full statement and more examples of what the Palestinian media is saying, you can log onto www.pmw.org.il.
Palestinian Authority Daily
Killer of eight young men is Holy Martyr - Shahid
Action should cost PA $150 million in US aidBy Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook
Mahmoud Abbas's official Palestinian Authority daily newspaper has honored the killer of the eight high school students gunned down this week with the status of Shahid -- Holy Islamic Martyr. In so doing, the PA is sending its people a straightforward message of support for the terror murders and the murderer. According to the PA interpretation of Islam, there is no higher status that a human being can achieve today than that of Shahid.
The official PA daily Al Hayat Al Jadida prominently placed a picture of the killer on the front page, with the caption, "The Shahid Alaa Abu D'heim." In a page one article on the terror killings, his act is again defined as a "Shahada achieving" action.
This honoring of terror and terrorists by the PA has significant financial ramifications, particularly at this time. Last week the US Administration sent a request to Congress to allocate $150 million to the Palestinian Authority. In response to earlier PMW reports on the widespread Palestinian honoring of terror, Congress made it illegal for the US to give money to entities that "advocate" terror, as follows:
"[The US] shall terminate assistance to any individual, entity. which she has determined to be involved in or advocating terrorist activity." Congress further legislated that "none of the [US] ... assistance under the West Bank and Gaza Program may be made available for the purpose of recognizing or otherwise honoring individuals who commit, or have committed acts of terrorism."
[-2008 Foreign Operations Bill Sec. 657.B - C.1]Since a society's honoring of terrorists is one of the greatest terror promotions, and as the budget for the PA newspaper comes from the PA's general budget, the incessant honoring of this and all recent terrorists by Abbas's PA as Holy Islamic Shahids should render the Palestinian Authority ineligible to receive any American money under the terms of US law.