Dutch Lawmaker Finally Confronts Anti-Jewish Violence From the Palestinian Authority
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by Akiva Van Koningsveld
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas hands the election decree to Chairman of the Palestinian Central Election Committee Hana Naser in Ramallah. January 15, 2021. Palestinian President Office (PPO)/Handout via REUTERS
HonestReporting has written extensively about Palestinian riots in the Samaria region of the West Bank that have been ongoing for over 100 days (see here, here, and here). Last week, the perpetrators from the Palestinian village of Beita on two occasions set fire to a makeshift wooden swastika embedded within a Jewish Star of David.
Our research subsequently revealed that the Western-backed Palestinian Authority (PA) and its ruling Fatah faction are actively supporting these antisemitic extremists:
In another sign of high-level Fatah involvement, Mahmoud al-Aloul (“Abu Jihad”), [PA President] Mahmoud Abbas’ deputy, on June 12 headed an official delegation to Beita. Two weeks later, the senior official even participated in the night confusion activities. Footage distributed by Fatah shows al-Aloul marching with a torch. …
On June 24, PA Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh visited the West Bank town. “Our presence here is not only symbolic, but practical,” Shtayyeh said. Accordingly, on July 5, the PA cabinet allocated NIS 3,124,000 (approximately USD 950,000) “to support the steadfastness of the citizens.”
That same day, Mahmoud Abbas invited representatives from Beita — including the families of “martyrs” — to his presidential headquarters in Ramallah. During the meeting, a video of which was posted to an official PA Facebook page, Abbas reportedly called Beita “the icon of popular resistance in Palestine.”
Sadly, nations that support Ramallah financially and diplomatically have remained silent. As of August 23, no country had sent an official demarche to the PA, or issued a public statement slamming the riots.
This, even though 11 EU diplomats, as well as those from the United Kingdom and Norway, recently paid a “solidarity” visit to Beita to oppose purported Israeli “settler violence” and the “worrying establishment of an illegal settlement outpost” called Evyatar that had already been evacuated in accordance with a government-backed deal.
As European Council President Charles Michel stated in January, Europeans have a special duty to commemorate the Holocaust and combat antisemitism “with full force” wherever it rears its ugly head. Therefore, we called on all European ambassadors to the PA to unequivocally condemn the actions of Beita’s residents and insist that Ramallah end its support for them.
In response, a Dutch lawmaker has taken up the matter in The Hague. On August 22, MP Raymond de Roon submitted written questions in parliament in which he demanded to know whether Foreign Minister Sigrid Kaag would denounce the PA’s backing for the Jew-hatred espoused by the Beita residents:
Questions of MP De Roon (PVV) to the Minister of Foreign Affairs about support from the Palestinian Authority for antisemitism:
- How do you assess the support of the Palestinian Authority for the expressions of antisemitism in Samaria, accompanied by burning Stars of David and swastikas? [1] [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]
- Are you willing to forcefully condemn the aforementioned support, both in bilateral contacts with the Palestinian authorities and in public? How will you act?
[2] https://www.cidi.nl/swastika-davidster-verbranden-geen-probleem-vindt-de-palestijnse-autoriteit/
[3] https://www.parlementairemonitor.nl/9353000/1/j9vvij5epmj1ey0/vkt8dbq35ezp
By law, Foreign Minister Kaag needs to answer De Roon’s questions within three weeks, although this period can be extended. Meanwhile, Palestinians in Beita continue to call for the murder of Jews. On August 19, for example, the town’s “popular resistance units” burned a model of an Israeli village, in line with their statement that this is “all we are working for.”
All EU countries, and the US embassy in Jerusalem, must condemn the PA’s overt support for genocidal antisemitism.
The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article was first published.
