UK media ignore Abbas’s howler at the UN that Palestinians ‘foster a culture of peace’

If foreign journalists covering the region held Palestinian leaders to the same level of critical scrutiny that they consistently hold Israeli leaders to, the ten seconds of Abbas addressing the UN would cause nothing less than a media storm - with reports, analyses and commentaries informing readers that Abbas's claim that Palestinians "are committed to fostering a culture of peace and a rejection of violence" is simply the opposite of the truth.

Followers of this blog are familiar with the UK media’s pattern of obfuscating, distorting or completely ignoring speeches by Mahmoud Abbas which incite violence, deny Jewish history and advance antisemitic accusations and tropes.

So, we are relatively confident that no major British media outlet will so much as take note, yet alone call out, an astonishing lie told by Abbas while addressing the UN Security Council yesterday.  Though Abbas once again repeated his faux history, alleging that Palestinians are “descendants of the Canaanites that lived in the land of Palestine 5,000 years ago”, that actually isn’t, believe it or not, the most ludicrous claim in the speech.

This is:

Evidence showing Palestinian leaders, including Abbas himself, and government institutions praising, inciting and incentivizing terror, and promoting a culture which glorifies violence, is well-documented and ubiquitous.

For starters, the PA spends an estimated $350 million a year (nearly one-third of their budget) on payments to terrorists and their families – monthly stipends which are higher when the terror act is more deadly.

As detailed previously on this site, Abbas, in 2015, hailed violent Palestinian rioters on the Temple Mount, saying any blood spilled in “defense” of the holy site was “pure.” The following year, he praised, as a martyr, a Palestinian woman who attempted to kill an IDF soldier with her car.

However, the frequency in which other Palestinian leaders, official PA institutions (such as state controlled media outlets and their educational system) and the ruling Fatah Party, led by Abbas, have glorified and encouraged terror are far too numerous to count.  Only a couple of weeks ago, a Palestinian UN diplomat was recorded on tape glorifying rock throwing by children:

“We are very proud that we are stone throwers…We are very proud to do that…We will not stop to learn (sic., teach) our kids”

Also this month, two Palestinian sports championships were named after the Palestinian terrorist who led the terror cell that murdered Rabbi Raziel Shevach in a drive-by shooting the previous month.

You can see PMW’s timeline of incitement here for more examples, but this one is especially disturbing: a tweet by Abbas’s party promoting a rock throwing guide for children.

More evidence that shows how the PA – again, in direct contradiction of Abbas’ claim that they reject violence – inculcates their children with the belief that terrorism is noble, and martyrdom is the highest aspiration, official PA TV broadcast a children’s show which teaches kids to “follow the example” of arch-terrorist Abu Jihad, responsible for terror attacks that killed 125 Israelis – including at least 12 children.

The Palestinian Authority’s official promotion of terror is consistent with a society in which such attitudes about violence are the norm, not the exception.  For instance, a global poll by Pew in 2013 showed that Palestinians express the highest level of support in the world for suicide bombing “in defense of Islam”.

If foreign journalists covering the region held Palestinian leaders to the same level of critical scrutiny that they consistently hold Israeli leaders to, the ten seconds of film highlighted in this post would cause a media storm – with reports and commentaries informing readers that Abbas’s UN claim, that Palestinians “are committed to fostering a culture of peace and a rejection of violence“, is simply the opposite of the truth.

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