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Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22280/palestinian-constitution
The Palestinian "Constitution" to Destroy Israel
(Gatestone Institute) Bassam Tawil - As part of an attempt to persuade the U.S. and the international community that the Palestinians are seeking to create a democratic state "based on the rule of law and human dignity," the Palestinian Authority leadership last week published a 162-article draft "constitution." It shows that if the Palestinians have a state of their own, it would not be different from the two mini-states they have had for the past two decades: the Hamas regime in Gaza and the PA in the West Bank. Both Palestinian regimes have deprived their people of democracy, opportunity, free elections, and freedom of speech. The new "constitution" reaffirms the "right of return" for Palestinian refugees and their descendants to their former, mostly no-longer-existent homes inside Israel; the continuation of stipends paid to Palestinian terrorists - a program also known as "Pay-for-Slay," and the perpetual denial of the Jews' far-reaching history and religious roots in Jerusalem. Article 3 on Jerusalem states: "The [Palestinian] state is committed to preserving its religious character and protecting its Islamic and Christian sanctities." Notice something missing? In the eyes of the Palestinians, only Islam and Christianity have sanctities in Jerusalem. The Palestinians have been falsely claiming for many years that the Western Wall - a retaining wall of the Second Temple that was destroyed by the Roman Empire in 70 CE - is not sacred to Jews because it is just another wall of the adjacent Al-Aqsa Mosque (built in 1035 CE). The new "constitution" designates the official religion of a Palestinian state as Islam, with Sharia law to be the "primary source for legislation." For the Palestinians, the Jews simply do not exist. Contrary to claims that the Palestinian leadership had decided to end its "Pay-for-Slay" program, the program was never canceled. Instead of listing the recipients as prisoners or "martyrs," the PA has relabeled them as civil servants, security force personnel, and pensioners, so that they continue to benefit from the funding as a legal right. This "constitution" demonstrates that the Palestinians still have not come to terms with Israel's right to exist, still have not abandoned their dream of destroying Israel, and are still as committed as ever to encouraging terrorists to murder more Jews.