Residents of the Palestinian West Bank town of Beita, located south of Nablus, on Thursday set fire to an effigy of a stereotypical Orthodox Jew. The incident was far from the first antisemitic act perpetrated by these “popular resistance units.” Over the past four weeks, Palestinian rioters on at least three occasions set ablaze makeshift wooden swastikas embedded within a Jewish Star of David.
They also burned a model of an Israeli village in consonance with their stated goal to “burn you [Israelis] alive.”
Our exclusive research has revealed that the Western-backed Palestinian Authority (PA) and its ruling Fatah faction are actively backing Beita’s extremists. In fact, a senior Palestinian official praised them just hours after they had set alight the first swastika. Two days later, Fatah’s legislative body held a meeting in Beita to “support the popular resistance.”
Palestinian rioters from the Samarian town of Beita, who previously burned makeshift Nazi swastikas juxtaposed against a Star of David, last night set fire to an effigy of an Orthodox Jew.
Yet @EUpalestinians remains silent about this PA-backed Jew-hatred pic.twitter.com/EVnxWeYrX9
— Akiva van Koningsveld (@koningsveld) September 10, 2021
Related Reading: HonestReporting EXCLUSIVE: Western-backed Palestinian Authority Supporting West Bank Rioters That Erected Burning Swastikas
Nevertheless, nations that support Ramallah diplomatically and financially have remained silent.
There has been a near-total media blackout.
But thanks to HonestReporting’s work and social media campaign, European politicians and governments are taking action to counter the PA’s encouragement of Nazi-like antisemitism.
Following the publication of our investigative article, Dutch lawmaker Raymond de Roon on August 22 submitted written questions in parliament that demanded to know whether Foreign Minister Sigrid Kaag would denounce the PA’s backing for the Jew-hatred espoused by Beita residents.
In her response published on Friday, Kaag did exactly that while confirming that the Dutch representative to the PA, Cees van Baar, had raised the issue in a meeting with PA officials.
Kaag formally answered de Roon’s questions:
1. How do you assess the support of the Palestinian Authority for the expressions of antisemitism in Samaria [a Biblical term denoting a part of the West Bank], accompanied by burning Stars of David and swastikas? [1] [2]
The Netherlands always condemns expressions of antisemitism. It is worrying that such expressions took place during demonstrations on the West Bank.
2. Do you recall the motion passed by the House of Representatives (32735-219) that calls on the government to condemn statements by heads of government that contribute to growing antisemitism? [3]
Yes.
3. Are you willing to forcefully condemn the aforementioned support, both in bilateral contacts with the Palestinian authorities and in public? How will you act?
The government is fully committed to combating antisemitism. The Netherlands and the EU continue to urge the responsible parties to curb hatred and violence, in accordance with UNSCR Resolution 2334. In response to the aforementioned events during the demonstrations in the West Bank, the Dutch representative in Ramallah on September 1 again conveyed this message in a bilateral conversation with the Palestinian authorities.
[2] https://www.cidi.nl/swastika-davidster-verbranden-geen-probleem-vindt-de-palestijnse-autoriteit/
[3] https://www.parlementairemonitor.nl/9353000/1/j9vvij5epmj1ey0/vkt8dbq35ezp
As outlined in HonestReporting’s previous impact report, our proactive approach to ensuring accuracy and fairness in journalism — specifically as it relates to coverage of Israel — is consistently garnering results and, now, translating into political action.
In this respect, on August 17 we produced, “As Media Berate Israel, Hamas Reportedly Hiding Enough Funds to Fully Rebuild Gaza Strip,” which amplified an exposé on Hamas’ secret foreign investment portfolio, reportedly worth more than $500 million. While the initial investigation by Die Welt gained little attention outside of Germany, after the publication of our piece Belgian lawmaker Kathleen Depoorter announced that she would similarly be submitting questions to the government related to Brussels’ development aid to the Gaza Strip.
As HonestReporting continues to make waves, we urge you to partner with us by subscribing to our IsraBites newsletter; notifying us when you identify anti-Israel bias in the media; circulating our materials via your own channels; or through a donation.
Featured image: Sigrid Kaag chairs the UN Security Council
