The following letter appeared in The New York Times on August 6, 2016.
Letters to the Editor
The New York Times
To the Editor:
Re “Fatah Makes Public Claim That It Killed 11,000 Israelis” (Aug. 5):
Sadly, celebrations of hatred, violence and terrorism are not anything new to Fatah. Just a few days ago, the Fatah media bureau website featured a caricature depicting a stereotypical bearded and hooknosed Jew lighting the fuse under a bomb that was aimed at Sunni and Shiite Muslims, suggesting that Israel and Jews are trying to sow division and discord across the Arab and Muslim world.
We have come to expect incitement from Palestinian terrorist organizations like Hamas. But we hope for more from Fatah, the leading Palestinian political faction and the party of President Mahmoud Abbas.
That Fatah is touting the number of slain Israelis to score points in the electorate is a deeply troubling statement of the state of Palestinian public sentiment. We have concerns that this language by Fatah will repeat itself and spread before the municipal elections in the West Bank.
Both sides need to work together to end the conflict and reconcile their people. But for there to be any hope for a two-state solution, Israelis need to believe that the Palestinians can and will be a partner for peace, motivated not by blood lust but committed to mutual security and stability. The glorification of Israeli deaths conveys the opposite message.
Sincerely,
Jonathan A. Greenblatt
CEO and National Director
Anti-Defamation League