The Zionist Organization of America News Release, May 6, 2003
An official of the Palestinian Authority (PA), headed by Prime Minister Mahmoud
Abbas (Abu Mazen) has publicly acknowledged that the PA is continuing to
teach children to murder Israelis and “die for Allah.”
The PA’s incitement of children to murder is a blatant violation of the Bush
administration’s “Road Map” plan, which stipulates that “all official Palestinian
institutions end incitement against Israel.”
Palestinian Media Watch reports that on official PA Television on May 4, 2003,
the director of the PA Children’s Aid Association, Mrs. Firial Hillis, was
interviewed about the PA’s education policies.
The interviewer began with a reporter, Samir Shahin, describing the
attitude of children at a PA school: “The children only wanted to leave [school]
and throw stones at the Israeli soldier, and to reach Shahada, ‘dying for Allah’.
They aspired to Shahada as a first priority.”
The moderator then turned to Mrs. Firial and asked: “Mrs. Firial Hillis, in your
opinion, does the Palestinian child understand the concept of Shahada?”
Mrs. Hillis replied: “The concept of Shahada for him [the child] means
belonging to the homeland, from a religious point of view. Sacrifice for his
homeland. Achieving Shahada in order to reach Paradise and to meet his God.
This is the best. We also teach our children to protect the homeland, belonging
and to reach Shahada.”
The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) points out that during the first week
since Mazen became prime minister, he has not take any steps to fulfill the
requirements of the Bush administration’s road map, which stipulates that the
PA must “arrest, disrupt and restrain individuals and groups conducting and
planning violent attacks on Israelis anywhere”; “commence confiscation of
illegal weapons”; undertake the “dismantlement of terrorist capabilities and
infrastructure”; issue a statement calling on Palestinian Arabs “to end armed
activity and all acts of violence against Israelis anywhere”; and “all official
Palestinian institutions end incitement against Israel.”
