OPINION:
The hatred of Israel by The Washington Post and New York Times is remarkable. I believe it is only outpaced by their hatred of President Trump. By contrast, the dictatorships of North Korea, China, Russia, Cuba, Syria, Venezuela and Zimbabwe all get a pass.
An article in The Post’s Dec. 19 edition has a good example of the paper’s bias. The article, titled “Israel is starting to vaccinate, but Palestinians may have to wait months,” points out that the poor Palestinians must wait for the coronavirus vaccine but the rich Israelis can get it soon.
The article fails to mention that a substantial amount of the Palestinian Authority’s budget goes to pay the families of terrorists for murdering Israeli citizens or tourists to the Jewish state. These terrorists are now sitting in Israeli prisons. If the terrorist gets killed in the process of killing his victims, the amount of money is increased. In addition, the more Israelis killed, the more money the family receives. It was for this reason the Taylor Force Law was passed by Congress and signed by President Trump.
The Taylor Force Law reduces American aid to the Palestinian Authority by the total amount paid to terrorists. It was designed to end “Pay for Slay” after an American tourist was murdered. Unfortunately, the PA refuses to end “Pay for Slay” and forgoes American aid, money which could be used to buy vaccines.
Another reason the Palestinian economy is poor is because of enormous corruption. Nepotism is rampant. The president and his associates live like kings while the majority of the population is poor. People have little incentive to open businesses or work hard unless they plan to use their education to emigrate. Much of the profits are taken by corrupt policemen and politicians. As a result, many in both the West Bank and Gaza plan to move to France, England, Germany or the United States.
The political system is also corrupt, as evidenced by the fact that President Mahmoud Abbas is now in the 15th year of his four-year term. No other elections have taken place.
The education system in both the West Bank and Gaza have a curriculum that teaches hatred of the West and especially Israel. Martyrdom is glorified.
From 1967 to 1993, Israel had significant control of both the West Bank and Gaza, and Palestinian economic growth was excellent. In fact, it was one of the highest in the world, although it did start at a low level. The level of terrorism was low.
In 1993, the Oslo Peace Accord was signed and the Palestinian Authority was given control of the populated Palestinian areas in the territories. That was a turning point, as PA corruption began and increased over time and prosperity declined sharply. The level of terrorism increased exponentially.
Unfortunately, the prosperity of the Palestinian people is not a high priority for the PA. During the year 2000, when millions of Christian tourists were expected to visit the Holy Land, the PA leadership started an intifada and suicide bombers began blowing up Israeli buses. More than 1,000 Israeli citizens were murdered.
The Post and The New York Times should consider the possibility of the wholesale removal of the Palestinian Authority government and its replacement with a trusteeship or mandate. This way a reasonable government would lead the Palestinian people to democratic self-government, prosperity and an end to conflict, terrorism and murder.
ARTHUR HORN
Boca Raton, Fla.
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