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Why Glorifying Martyrdom Undermines Palestinian Statehood

(JNS) Stephen M. Flatow - For most young people, life is about learning, growing and exploring the world. My teenage grandchildren are not guided by the expectation of dying in the name of a political cause. According to Palestinian Media Watch, Palestinian Authority Ramallah district governor Laila Ghannam praised families on July 27 whose children sacrificed their high-school diplomas for martyrdom - comparing funerals to joyous weddings held in Paradise. This is a society in which children are taught that the highest honor is not learning, creating or building, but killing or being killed in the service of a political struggle. For decades, PA leaders have elevated martyrdom above all else. PA schoolbooks indoctrinate children with the message that the ultimate moral and religious duty is to die for the cause. Parks, streets and schools are favored memorials to terrorists, who also are honored at summer camps and public ceremonies. Funerals of those labeled "martyrs" are treated as national festivals, complete with flags and attendance by senior officials. Through the "Martyrs Fund," families of terrorists killed or imprisoned while attacking Israelis receive monthly stipends, often higher than average Palestinian wages. This reinforces the idea that violence is not only honorable but profitable. Reform is possible. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Morocco and Egypt have all removed violent or antisemitic materials from schoolbooks in recent years. The contrast with Palestinian curricula could not be sharper. Until Palestinian leaders reject the narrative that death in violence is preferable to life and honor life over death, the dream of a peaceful, viable Palestinian state will remain beyond reach. The writer is president of the Religious Zionists of America. He is the father of Alisa Flatow, who was murdered in a Palestinian terrorist attack in 1995.
2025-09-04 00:00:00
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