Official Anti-Semitism

From the Editor's Desk, The Canadian Jewish News, March 19, 1998

Two weeks ago in this space, before the Purim "interruption," I wrote about the failure by the western media to critically examine violations by the Palestine Authority (PA) of the Oslo agreement. I pointed specifically to the unceasing violation by the PA of its commitment not to incite hatred or violence against Israel.

The commitments are quite clear. Israel and the PA have promised that they "shall seek to foster mutual understanding and tolerance and shall accordingly abstain from incitement, including hostile propaganda against each other and, without derogating from the principle of freedom of expression, shall take legal measures to prevent such incitement by any organizations, groups or individuals within their jurisdiction."

"Yasser Arafat sanctions the most odious expressions of vile, crude, tasteless anti-Semitism against Israelis and Jews by his officials and journalists," I wrote two weeks ago.

As promised, I am reproducing a small sampling of the anti-Semitism that emanates from the PA.

The material has been complied by the government of Israel into what is sadly, but appropriately, called a compendium of hate. The material is organized into six different categories.

I offer a warning to readers: what follows is very difficult to read.

Anti-Semite stereotypes

"The Jews always set a trap for the community of Muslims. The Koran repeatedly warns against the traps and plots of the 'people of the Book.' They relentlessly scheme in all times and places and this is what they do today and tomorrow against the Muslim camp." (Excerptedfrom the weekly Friday prayer sermon at Al-Aqsa mosque broadcast on the official PA radio station, the Voice of Palestine, Oct. 24,1997.)

Israel as Nazi

"The appearance of the Zionist movement prompted the emergence of terrorist, racist ideologies, such as, the nazi ideology. There is great similarity between the two ideologies: the Zionists believe that they are 'God's Chosen People,' and that other nations were created to be used and ridiculed... After the passing of 100 years since the establishment of Zionism, here come Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of the Zionist enemy, and presents a nazi formula when he says that 'peace between Israel and the Arabs must be based on the principle of Israeli strength.' Since its establishment, the racist Zionist entity has been implementing various forms of terrorism on a daily basis which are a repetition of the nazi terror. This proves the shared roots of nazism and Zionist thought..." (From an article in the official PA newspaper Al Hayat Al-Jadeedah, Sept. 3, 1997.)

Holocaust denial

"They have profited materially, spiritually, politically and economically from the talk about the nazi killings. This investment is favorable to them and they view it as a profitable activity so they inflate the number of victims all the time. In another 10 years, I do not know what number they will reach. Last year, for the first time, a statistic appeared according to which one million children were killed by the Nazis. The number was not previously known... " (From a cultural affairs program broadcast on the official PA television station on Aug. 25, 1997.)

Libelous accusations...

"In order to establish the Temple in place of the Al-Aqsa mosque, Israel employed different methods starting with arson attempts, destruction and the digging of tunnels and ending with the creation of artificial earthquakes that can be triggered from afar... " (From an article entitled "Al-Aqsa Surrounded by Conspiracies" that appeared in the official PA newspaper Al-Hayat Al-Jadeedah, Oct. 26, 1997.)

Delegitimizing Israel and Judaism

"The 'Al-Buraq' Wall (the Western Wall) is a part of the Al-Aqsa mosque. The Jews have no relation to it, whether or not a decision to expropriate it was made." (PA Mufii Ikrama Sabri in the daily newspaper Al-Ayyam, Nov. 22, 1997.)

Equating Zionism with Racism

"When the UN general Assembly defined Zionism as a form of racism, it expressed this as a fact... Zionism remains... another face of racism despite all the pressure the United States has put in order to change the UN decision or to cancel it... Accordingly, we are facing a Zionist ideology which belongs to a dynasty of dinosaurs. And if human history has swallowed all the dynasties of dinosauran ideologies from Hulagu (the Mongolian conqueror) to Hitler, in addition to the racist ideology in South Africa, the survival of Zionist ideology on this piece of our planet, is a deviant phenomenon and a historical lie... " (PA Undersecretary for Culture Yihya Yakhlaf, in Al-Ayyam, Aug. 7, 1997.)

Arafat promised "to foster mutual understanding and tolerance... " His actions show how he keeps the promise.

Rather than leading his people, seeking a way out of the dark alleyways, to turn the corner away from prejudice-laden attitudes and stereotypes, Arafat, in essence, encourages them to set up permanent residence there, in ignorant suspicion and hatred, far removed from a brighter, more enlightened world.