‘…anyone who talks about peace with Israel is a traitor… anyone who calls for the destruction of Israel…is a hero’
An Arab View… :: Gatestone Institute
This hostility is the direct result of years of anti-Israel and anti-Western incitement in the Arab and Muslim world — not only toward Israel but also toward the United States. In today’s world of the Palestinians, anyone who talks about peace with Israel is a traitor and a collaborator; but anyone who calls for the destruction of Israel and fires rockets at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem is a hero.
There is nothing more nauseating than watching people celebrate as rockets are being fired toward Israel from the Gaza Strip.
This is what happened last week when Hamas fired rockets at Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
As soon as the sirens went off, many Palestinians took to the streets and rooftops, especially in Jerusalem’s Arab neighborhoods, to cheer Hamas. Sometimes they responded to the Hamas rockets by launching fireworks into the air as a sign of joy, and chanting, “We are all Hamas!” and, “O Jews, the army of Mohammed is coming after you!”
Scenes of jubilation over the rocket attacks on Israel were also reported in several Palestinian cities in the West Bank, including Ramallah, the center of Palestinian “pragmatism and moderation.”
Later, upon learning that Hamas’s rockets had failed to kill Israelis in the two cities, the Palestinians voiced disappointment.
Never mind that the rockets could have fallen on their heads. As far as these Palestinians are concerned, there is no problem if a number of Arabs are killed on the way to destroying Israel.
The celebrations reflect the strong hostility that many Palestinians continue to feel toward Israel despite 20 years of a peace process, and billions of dollars of Western aid. This hostility is the direct result of years of anti-Israel and anti-Western incitement in the Arab and Islamic world.
The hostility is directed not only toward Israel, but also its friends — above all, the United States.