Palestinian Media Watch Bulletin
October 1, 2002

PALESTINIAN MEDIA WATCH
phone: 972- 2- 625-4140 fax: 972-2- 624-2803
visit our website, click here: http://www.pmw.org.il
for further information, contact PMW Director, Itamar Marcus
material may be quoted, citing PMW as the source

Palestinian Authority renews efforts to
have Palestinian children die in confrontations.
By Itamar Marcus

PMW has documented in the past the Palestinian Authority's [PA's] tactic of
encouraging children to seek heroic Shahada - death for Allah, and then
using the numbers of dead children in their PR war against Israel.

A PMW bulletin last week noted the PA's recent attempts to brings crowds of
violent demonstrators into the streets, in an attempt to change the image of
the terrorist war to that of a popular uprising.

Now the PA has combined the two tactics, once again encouraging children to
die as part of the "popular uprising", as they have renewed the broadcasting
of one of the most odious PA video clips, the "Farewell letter" clip. In
the clip a child writes a farewell letter to his parents, glorifying his
desire to die, and then places himself in front of Israeli soldiers during a
violent riot where he is shot and dies, achieving his goal. As he falls his
words are sung: "How sweet is Shahada [death for Allah] when I embrace you
my land."

The renewal of this clip now is an indication that the PA, after having
their image destroyed worldwide due to their backing of suicide bombers,
wants to portray themselves and their children as victims, by having large
numbers of dead children to report to the press.

[As a post script it should be noted that the PA seems to be accomplishing
its goal already, as in today's papers the PA announced the death "as
Shahids" of 2 children, aged 10 and 13, which they described as cold blooded
intentional murder, as they always do in their PR conscious press releases.]

The following is the text of the farewell letter sung during the clip.

"Do not be sad, my dear,
And do not cry over my parting,
my dear father,

For my country, Shahada [death for Allah].
"Do not be sad, my dear
And do not cry over my parting,
my dear father,
For my country, I shall sacrifice myself!"

[Scenes of children rioting against soldiers, the boy running with his
friends, throwing stones.]
The letter continues:
"With determination and desire
I long to approach."

[The boy is shot in his chest and falls to the ground.]
the letter continues:
"How sweet is Shahada [death for Allah]
When I embrace you, my land!"

Here the boy's mother is seen crying. The letter continues:
"My beloved, my mother, My most dear,
Be joyous over my blood and do not cry for me."

The message of this song to Palestinian children is clear: It should be a
child's wish and goal to die in confrontations with Israel.