(Wall Street Journal) Matthew Sinclair and Raheem Kassam - Millions in Western taxpayers' pounds, euros, and dollars now fund all the actions of the Palestinian Authority. Much of that money comes through direct budget support, which means unconditional checks to the Authority, or paying off its debts. In that way our governments support everything, good and bad, that the PA does. This is particularly troubling as official PA media and schoolbooks radicalize Palestinians and, crucially, Palestinian children. Western governments may not be able to stop Hamas or the regime in Tehran from calling on Palestinians to keep fighting. But there is no reason we have to subsidize actions intended to deepen animosity between Israelis and Palestinians. Peace depends on Palestinians rejecting the idea that only an impossible, violent victory and the destruction of Israel is an acceptable outcome. That repudiation of war will get harder and harder if the official media - supported by Western donations - continues to promote hatred and undermine any possible spirit of compromise. The writers lead the international "Coalition Against Hate Education" through the TaxPayers' Alliance in the UK.
2010-09-17 09:10:55Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive