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How Palestinian Hate Prevents Peace

(New York Times) Yuval Steinitz - Just after returning from his UN speech, PA President Mahmoud Abbas hosted the celebrated Egyptian poet Hisham al-Gakh, author of a famous hit proclaiming that "our enemy is the fork-tailed Zionist devil." Al-Gakh had an opportunity to recite his "lovely" song upon receiving an award from the Palestinian minister of culture. There are thousands of examples of Palestinian incitement against the Jewish state and the Jewish people. Such messages, propagated daily in PA media and classrooms, are internalized by the population at large - and children in particular. Two decades ago, I was an unabashed supporter of the peace process. Since then, I - and many Israelis like me - have become deeply skeptical about Palestinians' real intentions, not only because of the terrorist attacks from areas handed over to Palestinian control, but also because of the repeated Palestinian calls for Israel's destruction. PA media are being used to drive home four core messages: First, that the existence of a Jewish state (regardless of its borders) is illegitimate because there is no Jewish people and no Jewish history in this piece of land. Second, that Jews and Zionists are horrible creatures that corrupt those in their vicinity. Third, that Palestinians must continue to struggle until the inevitable replacement of Israel by an Arab-Palestinian state. And fourth, that all forms of resistance are honorable and valid, even if some forms of violence are not always expedient. The fact that this anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic indoctrination persists constitutes a huge obstacle on the road to peace. It should have disappeared 20 years ago after the Oslo Accords. Until it ends, the current round of talks cannot hope to reach a successful outcome. The writer is Israel's minister of intelligence and international affairs.
2013-10-16 00:00:00
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