Recent riots and terrorism in Jerusalem have generated a debate on whether such violence has been encouraged by leaders of the Palestinian Authority and/or Fatah, including PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. PM Netanyahu has accused President Abbas of incitement. General Security Services (Shin Bet) head, Yoram Cohen, has stated that though Abbas’ statements can be interpreted as legitimizing terror, he has not explicitly called for violence against civilians. Other public figures have recently joined this debate.
The US Congress has warned Abbas that the $500 million in aid to the PA is in jeopardy if they don’t curb the incitement against Jews and Israel. While Abbas condemned last week’s attack on the Har Nof synagogue, his statement at the same time was seen in many quarters as further incitement when he referred to Israel’s “attack on Al Aksa”. Other Palestinian leaders of the PA and Fatah praised the terrorist attacks.
Itamar Marcus, founder and director of Palestinian Media Watch, presented translations of recent actual statements, TV programs, Facebook and other social media postings, for journalists to evaluate and analyse for themselves.
