Palestinian Arabs prepare to celebrate the end of Ramadan with their children, by giving them fluffy bears and cuddly rabbits, and replicas of military assault rifles, handguns, and grenades.

Palestinian boys watch over childrens’ toys for sale in preparation for the Muslim holiday of Eid at an outdoor street vendor in Gaza City, Sunday Nov. 23, 2003. Eid, is a three day holiday in the Islamic world, and comes at the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer)

UPDATE: Reader G. Karp makes an excellent point:

The children who will be given these toys live in a war zone, a place where active military units are on constant patrol for armed combatants whose modus operandi is to mix in with the civilian population. Many of these belligerents are very young.

Giving a realistic toy gun to a child in these circumstances is a reckless invitation to violent mishap. The parents are setting their children up for “martyrdom” at the expense of what seems the most basic, primal human instinct to protect our young.