Palestinians Laughing at American Dead in Iraq, Media Watch Group Says

CNS News ^ | November 11, 2003 | Julie Stahl

[yonif]

Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) - Palestinians are mocking and laughing at American casualties in Iraq in their press and elsewhere, an independent Israeli media watchdog group said on Tuesday.

Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) Director Itamar Marcus said that while the Palestinians have been criticizing America in their media for years, the hatred has recently been ratcheted up. Established in 1996, PMW monitors and analyzes Palestinian Arabic language media.

"[The Palestinians] have been condemning America since 1997," said Marcus in a telephone interview. "Anti-American cartoons mocking American dead [have] reached a new level of hatred."

In a cartoon printed in the Palestinian Authority's official daily Al Hayat Al Jadida on Tuesday, the cartoon ridicules the memorial for 15 American soldiers who were killed when a U.S. helicopter was downed recently in Iraq.

The cartoon depicts the memorial showing a row of rifles with helmets atop them. Hanging on a line in between each rifle is a note with sayings such as "We will imprison Saddam soon," "Casualties are relatively low," "The uprising is weak and desperate," and "International forces are needed."

Another cartoon in the same paper two days ago depicted three American helicopters. The first was a regular helicopter, but the second and third were shaped like a coffin painted with an American flag with propellers on the top.

"They're absolutely taking joy in the American dead," Marcus said.

In several recent articles translated by PMW, the PA press and PA officials are quoted as urging attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq, condemning U.S. administration officials and even blasting U.S. financial aid.

On October 27, the PA daily Al-Ayyam used a play on words in Arabic to criticize the Shiite Muslim leadership in Iraq for not supporting terror attacks against U.S. forces there. It accused the religious leaders of being shaa'hid (witness[es]) instead of encouraging their people to be shahid (martyr[s]).

Palestinian National Council representative Basam Abu Sharif blasted the U.S. in a speech in the Brazilian parliament, according to an article in Al-Hayat Al Jedida on October 30.

Referring to President Bush, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and British Prime Minister Tony Blair as the "triangle of terror and evil," Sharif called on the United Nations and other countries to confront them, charging that the "sources of organized terror are the occupation and war crimes that these three states are committing."

The same paper published an article on November 3 written by PA Legislative Council member Nahidh Muneer Al-Ris accusing Bush of having rained missiles on Iraq equivalent to three nuclear bombs.

He charged Bush, Sharon, U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz of being "human beings whose ambitions have turned them into bloodthirsty beasts."

PA columnist and political commentator Jawad Al-Bashiti, who lives in Jordan, wrote in Al-Ayyam on November 1 that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) had granted an award of $1,350,000 to train 50 Egyptian journalists in an American University so that they would be able to "speak about the United States with 'professional expressions' that humiliate the Egyptian people and nation." He said most Americans refer to Bush as "The Great Liar."

"Anti-American sentiment is very strong," Marcus said. "The Palestinians see the world as dominated by the U.S... The whole thing of depicting America has nothing to do with hatred of Israel."

Marcus recently testified before a subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which was examining whether U.S. funds were being used directly or indirectly to support PA indoctrination.

Marcus said that while on the one hand, the U.S. is pouring millions of dollars in aid into the PA, Palestinians are at the same time attacking the U.S. through the media. In two cases, he said, a verbal attack of the U.S. appeared on the same page of announcements of USAID funding.

From 1993 to 2002, USAID provided approximately $1 billion to the Palestinians through projects and non-government organizations. All U.S. aid given to the Palestinians was provided through USAID until recently, when restrictions were removed, allowing for direct aid to the PA.

[wizardoz]

Well, there's nothing I can say, I do the same thing back at 'em. Palestinians killed making bombs? Hey, occupational hazard! How many virgins do you get if you only blow up yourself and your little 7 year old nit who was hanging over your shoulder chirping "Gonna kill some Jews, Daddy?"

I know it's wrong, but I hate those people so much I'm pretty much beyond shame about it. I could not possibly care less about their fate. If the Israelies commit full-scale genocide against them, I'll do my best to look concerned in public, but deep down, I've come to the conclusion that some cultures are too sick to fix and are best eradicated.

In fact, one of the things I hate most about them is that they bring this side out in me.

[truthandlife]

A compendium of Palestinian Authority hatred of America: 1997 and 2001

We all saw how Yassir Arafat - THE father of world terrorism, spoke about how bad he felt over the greatest terror attack in the history of humanity - but we also saw how his people, the Palestinains, drunk on their "victory" in Durban, South Africa, went dancing in the streets, giving out sweets, and shooting in the air, to show how happy they were.

The Palestinains wern't alone, as the article we bring below from Egypt tells us...

On the other hand - reports in the Israeli media tell us of threats that were receievd by the foreign press agencies to destroy any and all pictures and videos taken of these celebrations. That is why you will only see pictures from East Jerusalem and Lebanon below.

CLICK PICTURE TO ENLARGE	Celebrations in East Jerusalem (After 9/11)
Celebrations in Lebanon (AFTER 9/11)

[jerri]

I can not find adequate words to describe these people. What a miserable existence to have so much hatred inside.

[yonif]

We should cut funding the Egypt too. It supports and harbors terrorists.

[corlorde]

Want to hear a real gut buster? Arafat hasn't left his compound in years!

Pretty freakin funny eh?

[tet68]

Turn the taps OFF!

Give them JDAMS instead.

They call US beasts?

They have not yet SEEN how savage we can be.

[eleni121]

There are no palestinians - the only ones who can claim that name are the Jews.

As for the rest of the Muslim/Communist cultists - they should all go back to Egypt and turkey and other former Ottoman Turk colonies from whence they came.

[DonQ]

It ought to be emphasized that the American taxpayers are subsidizing - heavily - these PA media that are showing these anti-American images.

[bulldogs]

Welcome

[LibertarianInExile]

I never have understood this. Arafat is a murderer and proven time and time again that he does nothing but screw up the Israeli peace attempts and screw the Palestinian people. He's now demonstrated he steals USAID money. So what is our reaction nationally? Why, don't stop that money! In fact, we say that Israel should leave him alone!

If Israel killed that rat bastard, no one here would cry but the Al Queda lovers already inside U.S. borders. I can't understand why we continue to interfere with Israel on this--he should be deep napping by now.

[Valin]

I wonder if anyone has ever explained to the Palestinians the rule of holes?
If you find yourself in a hole the first thing to do is STOP DIGGING!

[American in Israel]

Thank to the U.S oh U.N State Department we have been giveing money to the world four 60 years...

Think on this, America is in record debt to the world, so badly that the US government is handing out American Federal land as colateral on that debt. Yosomite, Yellowstone and all our big national parks are no longer American owned. Yet still they borrow more to give more to terrorists world wide. We have been sold out a long time ago.