'Wretched Politicians Hide What the Palestinians Really Think'

'Wretched Politicians Hide What the Palestinians Really Think'

By Shimon Cohen, Ari Yashar

Director of pioneering new research explains 'people think they get the Palestinians, but they have no idea - and that has to change.'

Dr. David Bukay of University of Haifa's school of political science has been leading a research project that just completed an in-depth investigation of Palestinian Arab views of the peace talks and the desire for peace with Israel.

Speaking to Arutz Sheva, Bukay explains that the research which investigates figures from Palestinian Arab media and textbooks shows that "people think they know what the Palestinians think, but they don't know."

The doctor reveals that the Palestinian Authority (PA) leadership, media and educational system are engaged in "a process of demonization and dehumanization towards Israel at levels higher than (the Nazi) Der Sturmer. This they pass to their children in a deep process of hatred and incitement with no equal in history."

Bukay explains that in the research all the materials were gathered by Itamar Marcus's Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), and adds "if the state of Israel, instead of funding hundreds and thousands of Israel-hating NGOs gave funds to Marcus and the organization he leads and MEMRI which deals with what's happening in Muslim states, and allowed them to exist and not just live on donations, people in Israel would benefit."

"We are blind and disconnected from the reality," argues Bukay. "Anti-Semitism first blossomed in Islam and not in Europe. There anti-Semitism against the Jewish people began. Statements that Jews are descended from apes and pigs started there. These are Islamic expressions."

"In the Koran there are very serious expressions against Jews and people need to know this. People need to know what (PA chief negotiator Saeb) Erekat thinks and what he writes about the state of Israel and the Jewish people when he sits at the negotiating table," he continued.

What does the PA want?

Bukay noted that while there is a huge emphasis in Israel placed on the "two-state solution," people tend to ignore what the PA wants.

"They write these things openly. When they speak about two states to two peoples they talk about a Palestinian state and next to it a state of all its citizens at best, or a non-Zionist state on the way to a large Palestinian state. That's their intention," he deduces.

The doctor slammed "wretched little politicians" for being eager to prove how moderate they are when the outcome rests to a large extent on the desires of the PA.

"When they say peace it isn't peace you live in and exist but rather peace without the existence of the state of Israel," says Bukay. "The second a Palestinian baby is born he is born with a load of malice, hatred and demonization towards Israel, so there is no chance to ever reach any kind of deal with him."

According to the researcher, the Israeli political leadership is actually aware of what the PA is doing, but has chosen to ignore it, and therefore decides to hide the truth from the public.

This, says Bukay, is despite the fact that "we as a public need to know who the Palestinians are and what their goals are."

Important research, but just the beginning

The research on the extent of anti-Israel sentiments in the Palestinian Arabpublic has been compiled into a booklet that was published several days ago, and Bukay says it will be distributed among various states and leaders to raise awareness.

But one booklet such as this isn't enough, he adds, calling for many more booklets exposing the Palestinian Arab position. "I have the materials for it," he notes, saying he hopes to publish them soon so that Israelis will be familiar with what they're actually facing.

Bukay says he isn't concerned about being labeled "right-wing" in Israeli academia, saying "I want to bring to public awareness what the Palestinians think and how they educate their children."

A common mistake among Israelis is to think that political and educational processes among the Palestinian Arabs are similar to those occurring in Israel, argues the researcher, saying "we believe in the image of them being like us, hoping for peace, and that our peace is like theirs, and this is just a misunderstanding that can be solved."

"The public needs to know that this image is disastrous. This is mental blindness. We just read what we know and that's too little. The right way is to bring things to their (the public's) attention. There isn't A SINGLE word of our opinion here (in the research), but rather just the positions of the Palestinians," he explains.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/191699#.VOuz8WTLfH8