Over the past weeks, expressions of anti-Israeli incitement in the Palestinian establishment media were kept to a low level . However, virulent incitement continued to be spread in the mosques as usual and on occasion in the media as well, especially with regard to the extensive attention being given to the mosques on the Temple Mount .

As of this posting, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has done nothing effective to stem the tide at deeper levels, such as the educational system (particularly the universities ) and the mosques .

Incitement on the backdrop of the Temple Mount mosques

The amount of anti-Israeli incitement in the PA establishment media increased with the extensive attention being given the Temple Mount mosques . Various Palestinian organizations, chiefly Hamas , repeatedly warned Israel not to plot to harm the mosques, combining the warnings with propaganda whose objective was to increase the fear that the mosques were somehow in danger and exacerbate an already tense situation . Similar statements were made by individuals in the PA, ¹ deliberately avoiding mentioning the many preventive steps taken by the Israeli government to preserve quiet on the Temple Mount .

Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad organized mass demonstrations characterized by threats of renewed violence, suicide bombing attacks and a renewal of the intifada, as a protest against what they called the “Zionist attempts to attack Al-Aqsa mosque.” ²

At the same time, the electronic media continued (relatively prominently) broadcasting songs supporting peace instead of incitement to violence . For example, a number of times Palestinian TV broadcast a song whose theme was peace and freedom while showing pictures of children dancing and waving signs in several languages advocating the same. The Voice of Palestine broadcast a love song sung together by a Palestinian and an Israeli.

Incitement in the media not under Palestinian Authority control

The Palestinian terrorist organizations sidestep the limitations imposed on them by the PA's establishment media by using other means , such as newspapers, the Internet, local radio stations, the Arab media, etc.

For example, Hamas' newspaper, Al-Rissalah , which is published in Gaza , printed an anti-Semitic article attacking Pope John Paul II for his sympathetic attitude to the Jews ( April 7, 2005 ). It directed most of its wrath at the fact that the Pope had “absolved modern-day Jews from the guilt of having murdered Jesus.” The author considered the absolution “a terrific heresy” in the Christian faith and noted that modern-day Jews were “criminals like their ancestors.” He also complained about the Pope's attitude toward the Holocaust: the Pope's request that the Christians apologize to the Jews and ask forgiveness was “a service to the Zionists,” calling it “Pope John Paul II's worst crime…”

Nabil Sha'ath (Minister of Information and Deputy Prime Minister), in an exceptional step, praised the local radio stations for their fast reporting of “the occupation's activities against [Palestinian] citizens .” He noted that the stations were “overcoming” the “Voice of Israel,” which was, he said, “poisoning the Palestinian people” ( Al-Hayat Al-Jadeedah , March 19, 2005). It should be noted that the Palestinian terrorist organizations often use local radio stations to broadcast their anti-Israeli incitement.

The most prominent local radio stations in the Gaza Strip are Hamas' Radio Al-Aqsa and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's Radio Al-Quds . Radio Al-Quds, which recently began broadcasting, has provided a stage for terrorist activists and focuses on “the threats against Al-Aqsa mosque” to fan the flames of anti-Israel sentiments. It broadcasts strong threats and rants and raves against Israel and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, for example: “The criminal Sharon does not understand any language other than blood. We are ready for any situation, and you will hear the response in every place in your settlements: in Jaffa and in our captured lands in Tel Aviv and Haifa . Our missiles will reach Sderot and Majdal [ Ashkelon ]…”

Most of the incitement from the mosques has focused on “the Israeli threat” against Jerusalem, as expressed in the sermons delivered by prominent clerics such as the extremist sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiras in Gaza and Taysir Tamimi , head of the Shari' religious court. Their sermons, which were intended to pour oil on the fire of anti-Israel sensibilities, were publicized fairly widely in the media, including the mosques on the Temple Mount , which have remained a focus for anti-Israeli incitement . On the other hand, the sermons delivered in the mosque in Jenin supported the current calm ( Palestinian News Agency from Jenin, March 18, 2005 ). It should be noted that so far, no significant action has been taken by the Palestinian security apparatus in either monitoring or dealing with the incitement in the mosques .

Demonstrations and rallies during Shaheed Week

Shaheed Week was held in the PA-administered territories beginning March 25. The events included mass demonstrations in Nablus and Ramallah with tens of thousands of participants. Hamas leaders gave fiery speeches stressing Hamas' adherence to the continuation of violent activities and specifically stating that the lull was only temporary.

Masked terrorists took part in a mass rally in Nablus , but familiar incitement motifs (such as burning models of buses and settlements or the Israeli and American flags) were absent. In Ramallah, on the other hand, groups of armed men and activists were conspicuous at the Hamas rally, where shots were fired into the air and models of Qassam rockets were displayed . In ‘Asirah Shamaliyah , a village to the north of Nablus , a fair called The Path of the Shaheeds was held, where material was exhibited dealing with the lives and activities of Hamas shaheeds. The events of Shaheed Week were covered by the Palestinian media but were not a focus of public interest.

Calls for a decrease in incitement

From among Palestinians, calls have begun to be heard for a decrease in the level of incitement. For example, a new project for the supervision of Israeli and Palestinian media sponsored by an organization called Miftah ³published a report critical of the content of Palestinian media broadcasts . On March 19 an article was published in the PA journal Al-Ayam which was severely critical of the educational and cultural systems' helplessness which, according to the author, was responsible for the increase in violence among youth.

In summation