Hamas Child Care

Over the years, and especially during and immediately after the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas, we've been treated (subjected?) to innumerable pictures of alleged Palestinian suffering. I say "alleged" because there is plenty of evidence that many of the images that we've seen have been either doctored or staged. I'll leave that discussion for another day. In the meantime, I thought that I'd share some photos of children, mostly in Gaza, that we don't normally see in the mainstream media and which we certainly don't see from Israel's critics. Here, then, is child-care, Hamas-style (the green headband is a Hamas symbol; a yellow headband represents Hezbollah):

 

I know that the bunny picture requires a bit of explanation. Assud the bunny was one of the stars of a Hamas children’s television program entitled “Tomorrow’s Pioneers” which airs on Hamas’ official TV station. The show was apparently modeled on Barney and Sesame Street (and had a Mickey Mouse lookalike). However, as you can see from the translation above (provided by Palestinian Media Watch), Assud the bunny taught children lessons far different from those taught by Barney, Big Bird, or Mickey Mouse. Assud, like several of the characters that preceded him was “martyred” (in the case of Assud, he “died” during the recent conflict in Gaza and on his deathbed called for the liberation of Tel Aviv and Haifa).

Of all the pictures on this page, I think that the pigtails, pink hair clips, bright blue eyes and rosy cheeks contrasted with the headband, gun, and flak jacket is the hardest to look at.

I know that it may be hard to see, but note the burning Israeli flag in the above-picture.

For those who don’t recognize it, the building with the golden dome on the table is the Al-Aqsa mosque (also [though inaccurately, I believe] called the Dome of the Rock) in Jerusalem. Despite Israel’s control of east Jerusalem, the mosque and its environs remain under control of the Islamic Waqf of Jerusalem. For what it’s worth, it is also worth remembering that when Jordan controlled east Jerusalem, Jews were not allowed to visit the Western (Wailing) Wall which is adjacent to Al-Aqsa. 

I could probably find thousands more similar pictures online, but I think that the point has been made. I understand that the Palestinians have issues with Israel and Jews; I understand that they believe that they have been wrongfully dispossessed of that which they believe belongs to them. But what does it say of a society that it would glorify war and martyrdom, especially suicide martyrdom, among its children?

How can peace ever be achieved, let alone sustained, when one side has indoctrinated its children with such a mindset of violence, hate, and death.

Leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah often say: “We love death more than the Jews love life.” These pictures make me think that we should take them at their word.

Updated November 15, 2012: Repaired a few dead links.

Updated June 12, 2013: Repaired a dead link, fixed a typo, and made a small correction.