Minister Gilad Erdan. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)
As Palestinian terror attacks on Israelis continue, Israel is shoring up plans to combat the issue at its root cause – incitement by the Palestinian Authority.
Israel’s new annual report on incitement to terror by the Palestinian Authority (PA) has found that there has been a sharp increase in volume of incitement by the Palestinian leadership.
This agitation and encouragement of anti-Semitism and violence has led to a four-month-long wave of Palestinian terror attacks, which has claimed the lives of 28 victims and wounded over 280.
The Index of Incitement in the Palestinian Authority (PA), presented to the government on Sunday by Strategic Affairs and Public Diplomacy Minister Gilad Erdan, shows a rise in incitement in the PA, sponsored by the leadership and religious figures in formal education institutions.
The Index showed examples of various forms of incitement: Children are exposed to Jew-hatred via programs on official PA television, incitement by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas encouraging terrorism, and examples of incitement on social media.
Strategic Affairs and Public Diplomacy Ministry Director General Sima Vaknin noted that approximately 37% of terrorists are under 20, 39% are 21-25 and the remaining 24% are over 26.
“I intend to methodically expose the Palestinian culture of incitement among relevant communities around the world,” Erdan emphasized.
Erdan’s plan to combat Palestinian incitement includes legislation against incitement on social networks, increased open and concealed presence on social networks and exposing the Palestinian culture of incitement and Jew-hatred to the international community.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed that the materials be distributed to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and EU member state foreign ministers, and to all Foreign Ministry missions around the world.
The Palestinian leadership regularly glorifies terrorists and promotes terror against Israelis in the media, education system, in sports and in any other possible venue.
Just this week, a Palestinian municipality near Ramallah announced it would name a public park after a terrorist who murdered two Israelis in October in Jerusalem.
This comes after babies have been named after him, as well as a road and a sports tournament.
