JERUSALEM – Palestinians purportedly randomly interviewed on the street overwhelmingly condemn the participation of children in terror attacks against Israelis, a new report by Fatah-run TV indicates.
Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) reported that Awdah TV conducted on-street interviews with Palestinian passersby, asking them their opinion on stabbings and other terror attacks perpetrated by children.
According to PMW, most opposed child-terror in principle, while a few opposed it because it was ineffective in achieving Palestinian national goals.
All of those interviewed condemned the media – and especially television – for inciting children to commit stabbing attacks. A song on the same channel called on Palestinians to drown Israelis “in a sea of blood, kill them as you wish.”
The moderator ended the broadcast with a call to stop “incitement on TV screens,” continuing, “enough spilling the blood of our children.”
According to statistics from Israel’s Shin Bet security agency, about half of the terrorists in the current terror campaign have been under age 20 with at least 21 terrorists – or 10% – under 16.
The following is the transcript of the broadcast:
Fatah-run Awdah TV host: “What is required of children during the process of national liberation?”
Palestinian 1: “First of all, the children are victims… The children are deprived of everything considered children’s entertainment. Our children, unfortunately, their entertainment is the weapon…”
Palestinian 2: “Our children are required, like the adults, to resist with every means they have: With knives, with rocks, with Molotov cocktails, in every way they can resist, they also need to resist…”
Palestinian teacher: “As a teacher, I believe that you need to sow love of knowledge in a child, that is most important. That he should go and fight while still a child – I am totally against that…”
Palestinian 3: “These things are not for children. The children need to learn and live their lives, to go to school, to play…”
Palestinian 4: “I am against children’s stabbing operations…”
Palestinian 5: “Stabbing operations by children are negative operations, because they don’t bring significant results, they aren’t organized. There’s nothing positive about it, only negative – that we lose a child…”
Palestinian 6: “As we see and hear – most of the stabbings taking place are very weak, and they do almost nothing to change reality…”
Fatah-run Awdah TV host: “Do you think that the media and incitement on TV influence our children?”
Palestinian 7: “Of course. It confuses the children when they see these things. I prevent my children from watching what is happening on TV, stabbing operations or shootings. I prevent my children from watching. It confuses them, causes them to want to do this…”
Palestinian 8: “What is happening today in the media has a negative influence. It doesn’t tell them ‘No.’ It encourages them to take to the streets…”
Palestinian teacher: “I think that the media plays a large role. Especially our TV channels. Even when the situation has calmed down a little, you see that there are broadcasters among us and known satellite channels that begin to incite. Even if the incitement is indirect, it is incitement. You feel that the child does not know what to do, unfortunately…”
Fatah-run Awdah TV host: “Enough with this incitement on TV screens, on [Facebook] pages and social media. We must protect our children and must develop a strategy of struggle built on responsibility… enough spilling the blood of our children.”
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.