Does a true partner for peace honor those who committed acts of terror? In history, there have been only a few Jewish terrorists who murdered Palestinians. Israel has given all of these people lengthy prison sentences, and has refused to release them early. On the other hand, the ruling Palestinian party in the West Bank, Fatah, recently honored those responsible for terror attacks in which 61 people were murdered. Not only are Palestinian terrorists rarely arrested by the Palestinian Authority, but they are celebrated as heroes and their early release is demanded as a precondition for starting peace talks.
There are varying opinions as to what causes support for such hatred. One culprit is Palestinian television, which spreads messages promoting anti-Semitism. Watch this short clip to see some of the televised messages which fill the Palestinian airwaves.
It is especially disturbing that such hatred is being spread to North American campuses. In this well written blog post on Elder of Ziyon, we are exposed to the hatred and intimidation that students face on their campus at York University.
How are students expected to focus on their studies when, on their walk to class, they are greeted with students yelling “Intifada?” (click here for the clip). When students chant words that refer to the Palestinian wave of suicide bombings in the early 2000’s, which caused the death of hundreds of Israeli civilians, this is creating an atmosphere of hate and intimidation. When students yell “Right of Return!”, they are chanting for the destruction of Israel (read here how the right of return would lead to the destruction of Israel).
People frequently ask when there will be peace in the Middle East. It is a challenge when the ailing dictator of the Palestinians in the West Bank glorifies terrorists. And it is a challenge to have civil discourse on campus when one side is praising terrorist attacks.
Contributed by Gilad Skolnick
