Palestinian Authority seems poised
to use kids as human shields:
Child martyrdom promotion clip
returns to PA TV after three years´ absence

By Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook

"How sweet is the fragrance of the earth, its thirst quenched by the gush of blood, flowing from the youthful body."
[PATV music video June 28 -29, 2006]

Click here to view Al Dura in Paradise clip

[Al Dura plays with kite in child Martyr-Heaven]

[Al Dura and Ferris wheel in child Martyr-Heaven]

• Video presents famous child martyr Muhammad Al Dura calling to other children to follow him to Child-Martyr Heaven.
• In Child-Martyr Heaven, Al Dura is playing with kites and Ferris wheels.
• Video was removed from Palestinian Authority (PA) TV after it was exposed by PMW at a US Senate hearing in October 2003.
• Video brought outraged reaction from US senators:
• Sen. Hillary Clinton called them "horrific child abuse."
• Sen. Arlen Specter denounced them as "civilization abuse."
• After an absence of nearly three years, video has been rebroadcast twice in the last week.

At a US Senate Hearing in October 2003, Palestinian Media Watch director Itamar Marcus presented evidence of the Palestinian Authority´s indoctrination of children to aspire to "heroic" death as Shahids - Martyrs for Allah. Immediately thereafter, after widespread political and media condemnation both in print and on television, most PA TV clips that directly taught children to seek heroic Shahada -Martyrdom for Allah- were removed.

Now, after nearly three years, the PA has suddenly started rebroadcasting the Al Dura in Paradise video. The clip features a child actor playing Muhammad Al Dura, whose death in a crossfire in 2000 was broadcast to the entire world, calling on children to join him in Paradise. In Child-Martyr Paradise, Al Dura is playing with kites and Ferris wheels, presenting an ideal children´s world that is designed to attract young naive children. And it opens with the words from Al Dura to the living children: "I am waving not to part but to say: ´Follow me´."

There are numerous reasons for the sudden encouragement now of children to seek heroic death. The PA, has its image blackened by the kidnapping of soldier Gilad Shalit, the killings of soldiers and the continuous missile barrage on southern Israel. Certainly the PA wants to reposition itself as the victim, something that they successfully achieved in the past by sending children to combat zones, and achieving their goal through dead and injured Palestinian children to report to the media.

As Israel re-enters the Gaza Strip to search for terrorists and the kidnapped Israeli soldier, the sudden encouragement of children to seek death indicates the PA is in all likelihood returning to this previously successful tactic of using children as human shields for terrorists. It makes it more difficult for Israeli soldiers to fight terrorist, and it creates ideal photo opportunities of children armed only with stones, "bravely" confronting heavily-armed soldiers.

Children are taught that the short cut to both glory and fun is to follow Al Dura to heaven. Some of these children inevitably will be caught in the crossfire, PA leaders will rush to the media to publicly mourn the children they have so deceitfully sent to their deaths, and Israel will once again be condemned.

Click here to view Al Dura in Paradise clip

The following is the text of the Al Dura in Paradise clip:
"How sweet is the fragrance of the martyrs,
how sweet is the fragrance of the earth,
its thirst quenched by the gush of blood
flowing from the youthful body."
Caption: "And so he went..."
Choir: "Goodbye to the boy Muhammad" (2x)
Aida (popular woman soloist):
"Goodbye, goodbye."...
Aida: How sweet is the fragrance of the earth,
Its thirst quenched by the gush of blood
flowing from the youthful body.
Choir: Goodbye, goodbye.
Aida: Goodbye, goodbye...
Choir: O father, ´til we meet (2x)
Aida (woman soloist):
´til we meet, my father, ´til we meet!
I shall go with no fear, no tears,
How sweet is the fragrance of the martyrs!
I shall go to my place in heaven,
How sweet is the fragrance of the martyrs!
Choir: How sweet is the fragrance of the martyrs!
Aida: O my father, ´til we meet (2x)
Choir: O my father, ´til we meet ...
Goodbye to the child, Muhammad
Aida: O the children of the world say
Choir: Goodbye to the child, Muhammad!
Aida: ´til we meet, O Muhammad
Choir: ´til we meet, O Muhammad

The message of this song to Palestinian children is clear: glory and fun can be achieved quickly and painlessly by death for Allah - just like Muhammad Al Dura.


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