Categories: InDepth

PA Summer Camps Teach Terror and Martyrdom-death to Kids

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September 4, 2017, 7 AM ET

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{Written by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik and posted to the PMW website}

Many Palestinian children participated this summer in camps that promoted hate, terror, Martyrdom-death and denial of the existence of Israel. The camps were organized by the PLO Supreme Council for Sport and Youth Affairs and the PA's National Committee for Summer Camps, both of which are funded by the PA Budget. On its Facebook page, the National Committee for Summer Camps has listed itself as a "governmental organization." In Arabic it defines itself as "a governmental institution for children aged 6-12 years with recreational activities aimed to develop the Palestinian child in various fields."

Among the "partners and supporters," listed on the website of the PA's National Committee for Summer Camps, are UNICEF and UNDP (accessed Aug. 30, 2017).

Glorifying terror, terrorists, Martyrdom-death for kids, and non-recognition of Israel's existence

The PA's summer camp messages to children included glorifying terror, venerating Martyrdom-death, and picturing a world without Israel in which all Israel has become "Palestine." Camp activities included children performing plays in which the children depicted Palestinian stabbers carrying out terror attacks and being shot and killed by "Israelis," and dying as honored "Martyrs." Children created sculptures and drawings of the map of "Palestine," which includes all of Israel in addition to the PA areas, encouraging children to disregard the existence of Israel and foresee a world without it. Children were taught that Palestine's border to the north is Lebanon and to the south is the Gulf of Aqaba, again depicting a world in which "Palestine" has replaced Israel.

This report documents how the PA and the PLO transmitted these hate messages to Palestinian children through its summer camps.

Glorifying terror and Martyrdom-death through enactments of terror attacks At a camp organized by the PA-funded National Committee for Summer Camps, children performed a mock stabbing terror attack at the closing ceremony of the camp.

The first photo shows a girl wearing an Arab headdress and playing the part of a terrorist, as she faces off against a boy playing an Israeli. The second and third photos show the Palestinian girl "dead" on the ground with a knife in her hand after the "Israelis" who "shot" her standing next to her. The fourth photo shows a number of children standing behind the terrorist "Martyr" lying on the ground with a Palestinian flag draped over her, as is common practice at the funeral of "Martyrs."

[Facebook page of the National Committee for Summer Camps, Aug. 3, 2017]

The PA's National Committee for Summer Camps also posted photos from a similar play performed by children at another camp:

One photo shows two girls posing with toy assault rifles (below right), while another shows a scene from a children's play enacting a stabbing attack (below left). Three girls are wearing Israeli flags on their shirts, playing the role of Israelis. One is lying on the floor, presumably after being stabbed, while the other two are aiming toy assault rifles at two Palestinians wearing Palestinian flags on their shirts and who are lying "dead" as "Martyrs" on the ground with knives in their hands, "killed" by the Israelis.

[Facebook page of the National Committee for Summer Camps, Aug. 8, 2017]

Kids taught to honor terrorist murderers

In another camp, under the supervision of the PLO Supreme Council for Sport and Youth Affairs, the children were divided into groups some of which were given the names of terrorist murderers:

"With the approach of the conclusion of the summer camps and the preparations for the central closing ceremony that the [PLO] Supreme Council for Sport and Youth Affairs will hold in Ramallah, the activities are continuing... in the Jericho district in 11 camps, including... the summer camp organized by the Ein Al-Sultan Center, whose groups are named after Martyr leaders Yasser Arafat, Ghassan Kanafani (i.e., a PFLP terror leader), Dalal Mughrabi (i.e., terrorist who led murder of 37, 12 of them children), Khalil Al-Wazir (i.e., terrorist responsible for attacks in which 125 Israelis were murdered), and Laila Khaled (i.e., PFLP terrorist and plane hijacker)."

[Official PA dailyAl-Hayat Al-Jadida, Aug. 9, 2017]

A summer camp held by Abbas' Fatah Movement also taught children to see murderers as their role models. Earlier this month, Palestinian Media Watch reported that Fatah named a summer camp after terrorist murderer Dalal Mughrabi.

Teaching kids all of Israel is "Palestine" in drawings and sculptures At one camp organized by the National Committee for Summer Camps, children built a large sculpture in the shape of the PA's map of "Palestine" which erases the existence of Israel. The sculpture was painted in the colors of the Palestinian flag, symbolizing Palestinian political sovereignty over all of Israel in addition to the PA areas. A large key represented the so-called "right of return" of Palestinian refugees to Israel.

Posted text: "From raw materials in the surroundings, the boys and girls of hope create the map of the homeland"

[Facebook page of the National Committee for Summer Camps, Aug. 4, 2017]

At another camp organized by the National Committee for Summer Camps, a drawing of the PA's map of "Palestine" was accompanied by the following text, emphasizing both in pictures and in "data" that there is no State of Israel:

Text next to map: "Palestine

Location: The continent of Asia, eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea

Territory: 27,009 square kilometers (the combined size of Israel and the PA areas is roughly 27,000 square kilometers -Ed.)

Borders of Palestine: Lebanon on the north

The Gulf of Aqaba and Egypt on the south

Jordan on the east

The Mediterranean Sea on the west"

[Posted on the Facebook page of the National Committee for Summer Camps, Aug. 2, 2017]

Significantly, the text's alternative "facts" reiterate the PA message that Israel doesn't exist or will not exist in the future. The description of "Palestine's" territory as 27,009 square kilometers includes the area of all of Israel in addition to the PA areas. The West Bank and Gaza together are 6,220 square kilometers. The description of "Palestine's" borders is also wrong, as it is Israel that borders Lebanon and the Gulf of Aqaba. Palestinian children are taught by the PA not to recognize Israel's existence.

Photos from another camp posted on Facebook by the PLO Supreme Council for Sport and Youth Affairs showed a large map of "Palestine" that erased Israel painted by girls in the camp:

Posted text: "Pictures from the summer camps of 2017

The Wonderful [Girls] of Palestine [Summer] Camp

Asira Al-Shimaliya - Nablus"

[Facebook page of the PLO Supreme Council for Sport and Youth Affairs, Aug. 7, 2017]

Similarly, children at another camp made the PA's map of "Palestine" with stones:

Posted text: "Pictures from the summer camps of 2017

The Pioneers of Al-Aqsa Summer Camp

Aqabat Jaber refugee camp - Jericho"

[Facebook page of the PLO Supreme Council for Sport and Youth, Aug. 4, 2017]

One of the significant ways in which the PA denies Israel's right to exist in any borders, is by referring to the entire State of Israel as an "occupation." In one summer camp the campers were divided into groups named after Israeli cities Haifa, Jaffa, Acre, Tiberias, and Nazareth, which were said to be in "occupied" Palestinian land:

Posted text: "In Jericho, a visit was held at the We Will Advance Together [Summer] Camp...The campers were divided into groups bearing the names of cities from the occupied Palestinian Interior (i.e., Palestinian term for Israel), such as: Haifa, Jaffa, Acre, Tiberias, and Nazareth."

[Facebook page of the PLO Supreme Council for Sport and Youth Affairs, Aug. 2, 2017]

Similarly, a drawing at another camp showed a Palestinian flag dripping with blood with the Dome of the Rock above it and the outline of the PA map of "Palestine" (to the right) that presents all of Israel as "Palestine." To assure that the children received the message that there is no country named Israel, the text on the map states: "We are all a unified homeland." The names of Palestinian cities are written around the map as well as the names of Israeli cities including: "Jaffa," "Acre," "Tal Al-Rabia (i.e., Tel Aviv)," "Haifa," "Beit Shean," and "Tiberias."

[Facebook page of the National Committee for Summer Camps, Aug. 8, 2017]

All of these messages - glorification of terror and terrorists, promotion of Martyrdom-death, and presenting a world in which Israel doesn't exist and/or has no right to exist are fundamental Palestinian Authority messages to Palestinians. These messages are transmitted to Palestinian children in formal education, educational television, cultural events, sports and much more. It is therefore not surprising that summer camps, which are funded by the PA are disseminating the same hate messages.

PMW has documented that it is PA policy to educate children to see terrorists and murderers as role models. As part of this ideology, the PA Ministry of Education has named at least 30 schools after terrorists, and PMW has shown that the message is effective and youth aspire to "follow the path" of the terrorists.

The following is a longer excerpt from one of the sources cited above:

Headline: "A mass-participant ceremony on Thursday for the conclusion of the summer camps in Ramallah"

"With the approach of the conclusion of the summer camps and the preparations for the central closing ceremony that the [PLO] Supreme Council for Sport and Youth Affairs will hold in Ramallah, the activities are continuing vigorously and with an unprecedented response from civil society... The activities, meetings, conferences, and lectures are continuing in the Jericho district in 11 camps, including... the summer camp organized by the Ein Al-Sultan Center, whose groups are named after Martyr (Shahid) leaders Yasser Arafat, Ghassan Kanafani (i.e., a PFLP terror leader), Dalal Mughrabi (i.e., terrorist who led murder of 37, 12 of them children), Khalil Al-Wazir (i.e., terrorist responsible for attacks in which 125 Israelis were murdered), and Laila Khaled (i.e., PFLP terrorist and plane hijacker)."

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Aug. 9, 2017]

Ghassan Kanafani - a writer and a leader of the terror organization Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

Dalal Mughrabi led the most lethal terror attack in Israel's history, known as the Coastal Road massacre, in 1978, when she and other Fatah terrorists hijacked a bus on Israel's Coastal Highway, murdering 37 civilians, 12 of them children, and wounding over 70.

Abu Jihad (Khalil Al-Wazir) - was a founder of Fatah and deputy to Yasser Arafat. He headed the PLO terror organization's military wing and also planned many deadly Fatah terror attacks in the 1960's - 1980's. These attacks, which murdered a total of 125 Israelis, included the most lethal in Israeli history - the hijacking of a bus and murder of 37 civilians, 12 of them children.

Laila Khaled - PFLP terrorist who participated in the hijacking of TWA flight 840 from Rome to Athens on Aug. 29, 1969 and the hijacking of El Al flight 219 from Amsterdam to New York on Sept. 6, 1970. The second hijacking was averted by the pilot and security personnel on board. They shot Khaled's accomplice, Patrick Argüello, who had murdered one of the flight attendants. Khaled was overpowered and the plane landed in London, where Khaled was handed over and held by British police until she was exchanged on Oct. 1, 1970 for hostages held by the PFLP.