The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) strongly supports the Israeli Government giving priority to the issue of Palestinian Authority (PA) incitement to hatred and murder of Jews and demonization of Israel in their schools, TV and radio, newspaper, magazines, sermons, speeches and children’s camps. As a report in the New York Times puts it, according to a new presentation produced by the Israeli government, “Adolf Hitler is quoted on the websites of Palestinian Authority schools. A young girl appears on Palestinian television, describing Jews as ‘barbaric monkeys, wretched pigs’ and the ‘murderers of Muhammad,’ the Islamic prophet. Maps on the Facebook page of the Palestinian presidential guards do not show Israel. President Mahmoud Abbas himself embraced as ‘heroes’ released Palestinian prisoners who killed Israelis” ( The Israeli government presentation can be found at ‘Israelis [sic] Document Incitement by the Palestinian Authority,’ New York Times, January 6, 2014).
ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, “The PA needs to immediately commit to terminating all its pro-terror, anti-peace words and deeds. In order for the conflict to end and be replaced by a genuine peace, all PA incitement must cease entirely. There must be no public events glorifying living or dead terrorists, no naming schools, streets and sports teams after Jew-killers or would-be Jew-killers, no denial of Jewish history and connection to the land of Israel, no advocacy of murdering Jews, and so on. Indeed, Mahmoud Abbas must denounce, condemn and oppose all future glorification of terrorism and terrorists which, among other things, would require him and the PA publicly and explicitly make clear that deliberately murdering Jewish Israeli civilians is in fact terrorism.
“Such an outcome would also necessarily involve PA president Abbas publicly rescinding the Fatah emblem –– which depicts all Israel labeled ‘Palestine’ and draped in a Palestinian headdress, a Kalashnikov rifle –– and his Fatah party, which controls the PA, rescinding its Constitution.
“The Fatah Constitution, drafted in 1964 (which is not to be confused with the PLO Charter) never since amended, calls for the ‘complete liberation of Palestine, and eradication of Zionist economic, political, military and cultural existence’ (Article 12) and for terrorism as ‘a strategy and not a tactic … this struggle will not cease unless the Zionist state is demolished’ (Article 19). Indeed, 10 specific articles out of 27 articles in Chapter 1 of the Fatah Constitution that calls for Israel’s destruction, ‘armed struggle’ and ‘armed revolution’ against Israel to continue, calls to ‘prevent Jewish immigration to Israel,’ ‘oppose any political solution,’ and label ‘Zionism as racism.’
“Last but not least, Abbas’ PA must fulfill what it is obligated to do under the signed Oslo agreements, but has never fulfilled –– outlaw and dismantle the terrorist groups within the PA, confiscate their weaponry and imprison terrorists.”
Israel’s Minister of Strategic Affairs, Yuval Steinitz, whose department produced the latest presentation copiously documenting the hatred and dehumanization of Jews in the PA-controlled media and curricula, said “The general phenomenon is very clear: They are poisoning Palestinian children with deep hatred of Israel and the Jewish people … At the end of the day, let’s assume we’ll be able to resolve all the technical issues, which are extremely complicated. Are we going to get genuine peace, or just a piece of paper?” Also, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
said at joint press conference with Secretary of State John Kerry, “This Palestinian government incitement is rampant … Instead of preparing Palestinians for peace, Palestinian leaders are teaching them to hate Israel” (Jodi Rudoren, ‘Israeli Official Points to ‘Incitement’ by Palestinians,’ New York Times, January 6, 2014).
Mr. Netanyahu also said, “True peace cannot exist without stopping the incitement against Israel and educating for peace … The refusal of the Palestinians to recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish People and declare the end of national demands –– this is the root of the conflict. This is also the reason why we are insisting on significant security measures, so that we will be able to defend ourselves by ourselves in any situation” (Herb Keinon, ‘Netanyahu: Palestinian incitement spurs Mideast conflict,’ Jerusalem Post, January 5, 2014).
ZOA’s Klein said further, “We agree wholeheartedly with the Israeli government that Palestinian incitement to hatred and murder is the core of the conflict. The ZOA has been saying just this –– and documenting this –– for twenty years.
“It is very simple. If Palestinians are being raised and nurtured on the idea that Jews are a monstrous, interloping people whom it is a national and religious obligation to kill and destroy their state, there can be no peace.
“It is clear that, without eliminating Palestinian incitement to hatred and murder, any peace agreement arrived at between Israel and the PA, assuming one is signed, will be a dead letter. Any Palestinian state established under prevailing conditions will be nothing other than a terrorist-sponsoring state and a font of instability and conflict.
“No peace can be established on the basis that a Palestinian state be Jew-free. Abbas needs to declare publicly that he retracts the numerous public statements made by himself and other senior PA officials that no Jew will be permitted to reside within the borders of a Palestinian state.
“There is a great deal to be done. This Israel report on Palestinian incitement is one important step in the right direction.”