A recent IDF blog explains how the Palestinian leadership creates a “hateful, violent and murderous mentality,” inspiring young Palestinians to kill Jews.

How does a teenager decide to skip school one day and instead put a knife in his or her backpack to stab an Israeli? How does one decide not to show up for work because he or she would rather ram a car into Israelis waiting at a bus stop? Where does this drive to kill come from?

A recent IDF blog posed these questions and provided clear answers.

The incitement to murder Jews begins from early childhood with children’s toys, entertainment, video games, public education, social media and general Palestinian culture.

One toy for children, for example, is a stuffed child with a rock in its hand. Indeed, Israeli customs seized 4,000 “rock-throwing” dolls addressed to the Palestinian Authority (PA) for distribution among children.

Regarding pre-school TV shows, the IDF blog asks: “Can you imagine [beloved Sesame Street character] Elmo talking to a child and encouraging the child to stab another human being?”

Many Palestinian youth are watching PA-sponsored television with cartoons depicting Jews as evil monsters. They also watch shows ostensibly similar to Sesame Street, but with cute bunnies praising terror and encouraging kids to sacrifice their lives in order to kill Jews.  

The goal of many Palestinian video games is to stab Jews or commit other violent acts against Jews and Israelis. 

In school, young Palestinian students are taught that “martyrdom” can be achieved by killing a Jew.

Several streets and schools in Gaza and in Judea and Samaria are named in honor of terrorists. Three schools under the Palestinian Authority, for instance, are named after infamous female suicide bomber Dalal Mughrabi, who killed 37 civilians, including 12 children.

Kindergarten Children Chant ‘Death for Allah’

As documented by Palestinian Media Watch, a PA textbook for 13-year-olds published in 2006 teaches the following:

“Your enemies seek life while you seek death.” [Reading and Texts Part II, Grade 8, p. 16]

Some kindergarten graduation ceremonies include a play in which the children dress up as terrorists and praise “death for Allah.”

These examples barely scratch the surface of the violent incitement that has been institutionalized in many Palestinian communities in the PA-administered territories and Hamas-ruled Gaza, the blog states.

Community leaders also promote violence at prayer services and cultural events, where they laud the efforts of Palestinians who attack Israelis and encourage their audience to go out and stab the Jews.

Social media has been utilized as a tool to perpetuate incitement. Facebook users in Palestinian communities see statuses applauding murder. They see instructional videos of terrorists with a knife showing viewers, step-by-step, how to stab and kill a Jew.

Palestinians of all ages spend a part of each Friday rioting, using rocks, sling shots, firebombs, burning tires, and anything they can to attack Israelis, soldiers, and vehicles traveling on civilian roads. They celebrate when a Jew is killed and even when a Palestinian terrorist is killed. The PA often organizes or facilitates funerals for terrorists in order to praise their attempts to kill or celebrate their murder of Jews.

By: United with Israel Staff