Palestinian children compelled to participate in a Hamas military parade. Photo: Twitter.

From an EU press release:

Each year, 10th of December marks the day, when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted with a view to express a universal commitment towards the respect and protection of human rights for all individuals without discrimination. This year, UDHR turns 71 and we also celebrate the 30th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Yet fundamental human rights continue to be challenged around the world, including in the occupied Palestinian territory. Palestinian children in particular face significant obstacles in accessing basic services and enjoying their fundamental human rights. Some of the obstacles are developmental in nature and at times linked to cultural and religious issues as, for example, the case with child marriage or gender based violence. However, the major factor that impedes the full realisation of children’s rights in the oPt is the decades-long Israeli occupation, including the Gaza blockade. It is clear that children are disproportionately affected by the conflict and occupation. An unacceptable number of Palestinian child casualties have been attributed to Israeli forces and many Palestinian children are held in detention by Israeli forces over security offences. Moreover, restrictions on the freedom of movement severely impact on Palestinian children’s enjoyment of their fundamental human rights, including the right to education and the right to health.

According to the EU, Palestinian youth face some relatively minor human rights challenges from cultural or religious factors — but the real problem is Israel.

Not a single word about how the Palestinian political leadership abuses children as policy.

The official Fatah Facebook page published a video only last month of a girl reciting a poem glorifying children killing themselves for “martyrdom.”

A Bethlehem high school now has a plaque honoring a 17-year-old suicide bomber at its entrance. It also has an exhibition honoring other Palestinian terrorists.

These aren’t anomalies. The entire Palestinian culture promotes dying for the honor of killing Jews — directly to children.

And it’s not only Fatah. UNRWA schools, funded largely by Europe, teach the exact same message to their students.

Last month, the EU-funded Palestinian Authority closed schools in order to increase the number of students participating in a “day of rage.” Not a day of tolerance and human rights — just rage against Jews and Israel.

Beyond that, we have paramilitary summer camps run by Hamas and Islamic Jihad that teach children how to use weapons. There is literally a formal program to recruit children to jihad.

It is astounding that the EU cannot say a word about this, and instead uses Human Rights Day as an excuse not to help Palestinian youth, but to bash Israel in the name of human rights.

By not only ignoring this indoctrination of Palestinian children into a culture of martyrdom and jihad — and by funding that same message through Palestinian schools — the EU is enabling and promoting Palestinian child abuse.