Promotion of Shahada, or death for Allah, has been the backbone of the Palestinian Authority´s messages to its children since the start of the terror war in September 2000. Although the number of these messages has been reduced in recent months, the promotion and glorification of child Shahada continues nonetheless, as seen this week on PA TV.

This week´s Shahada promotion was seen during the broadcast of The Palestinian Diaspora, a series presented as a factual dramatization of history that has been shown daily on PA TV in a prime time slot for the past month. Throughout the series, Israel´s creation and ongoing existence has been presented as injustices that must be fought.

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This episode was set in 1956, as Arab´s mourn Israel´s existence. A 12-year-old refugee reads his uncle a story he wrote. The scene has two explicit messages.

A child should be willing and anxious to fight and die in order to destroy Israel. Arab ´refugees´ can never resettle, but must ´return´ to Israel. The following is an excerpt from the scene

Boy: "His mother cried and said, ´My son! Swear to me! Don´t leave me alone…! I´m afraid you

will be killed.´

"Her son said to her, ´Don´t cry, my mother! Let me go and fight for the sake of the homeland. The enemy stole our beautiful land… We all must fight in order to redeem the lost paradise… We lived in joy and happiness, until the foreign enemy [Israel] came and expelled us from our land, and we became refugees in tents. But we will return, by Allah´s will!´

"His mother told him, ´Farewell, my son. Allah be with you.´ He kissed her and left to fight, and fought until he became a Shahid [martyr for Allah]."

Uncle: "...Let me ask you, if they come and tell you, we will give you a very big house, a car,

land and money, just resettle! Would you agree?"

Boy: "No!"

Uncle: "...the homeland is greater than individual possessions."

Boy: nods yes
[PA TV, June 16, 2005]

It´s important to note that the segment opens with the boy´s friend writing "I shall return" over a map he drew of ´Palestine´ - which removed Israel´s existence.