New York - Israeli Minister Natan Sharansky asserted in a press conference yesterday that under new Palestinian leader and Holocaust denier Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority (PA) is continuing to “promote genocide” against Jews.

Sharansky declared, “As in Nazi Germany, there is an entire culture of hatred in Palestinian Arab society today, from textbooks to crossword puzzles, from day camps to TV music videos – calling for the murder of Jews, as Jews, is the end result.”

The Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), distributed material under Sharansky’s auspices accusing the Palestinian media of dehumanizing Jews similar to ways the Nazis did. Sermons, academics, and children’s shows promote the theme that “the Jews are an evil force, and it’s inherent to the Jews, and therefore they have to be killed.”

Itamar Marcus, director of PMW, said that PA TV’s anti-Semitic rhetoric has remained unabated. Marcus gave an example of a sermon on January 14 declaring “The days of the pilgrimage to Mecca remind the Muslim of his past glory and the lowliness of the Jews, who today rule the world, how Mohammed expelled the Jews from Medina in retribution for their actions and their hostility and the Jews’ corruption.”

Marcus added, “Many people view the Israeli- Palestinian conflict as centered on political issues, when the Palestinians have tied redemption to killing Jews. It’s not connected to borders, it’s not connected to compromise, and no compromise will be reached once it’s a battle of G-d against the Jews.”

Zionist Organization of America National President Morton A. Klein said, “Sixty years after the Holocaust, it is frightening to see yet another Nazi-like Palestinian Arab culture promoting hatred and murder of Jews. And yet again the world, even the Jewish world, is essentially silent. The reason so many Arabs commit and support suicide bombings is the fact that they are brainwashed into believing that the Jews are vermin and filth and deserve to be murdered. It’s the same reason that the Nazis were comfortable in the murder of Jews – they were taught in the German schools, media and speeches that Jews were the bane of civilization and must be eliminated.

President Bush and Prime Minister Sharon must demand that there will be no negotiation and no funds forthcoming to the PA until they end incitement against Jews as well as dismantle and disarm the terrorists organizations. The demand was made under Oslo in 1993 and by the Road Map in 2002. When will the PA finally be held accountable.” (©2005 Zionist Organization of America 01/27/05)