PMW impact: Swedish and Norwegian MPs to seek funding cuts to PA
PMW impact:
Swedish and Norwegian MPs to seek funding cuts to PA
Swedish MP:
"We want to do as they've done in the Dutch parliament
to cut the funding to the PA [by 7%]."
Mikael Oscarsson (Christian Democrats)
Norwegian MP:
"I do not think it's a good idea to give any funding to prisoners...
We have to use Norwegian money to make peace."
Ingjerd Schou (Conservative Party)
Swedish MP:
"Thank you Itamar Marcus for coming to Sweden. The job you're doing with Palestinian Media Watch is very important. It gives us information. We're very thankful that you're giving us the facts so that we in the Swedish parliament can use these facts in order to change Swedish attitudes."
Mikael Oscarsson (Christian Democrats)
Following Palestinian Media Watch Director Itamar Marcus' recent briefings before members of parliament and government officials in Norway and Sweden, MPs from both countries said they would seek changes in their governments' funding to the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Marcus provided numerous examples of the PA's escalating antisemitic messages, and its hate education to children, and detailed the PA's policy of financially rewarding imprisoned terrorists and families of purported "Martyrs."
Marcus discussed the PA's payments of salaries to Palestinian terrorist prisoners and allowances to families of dead terrorists, the so-called "Martyrs," with government officials. He called on MPs in Norway and Sweden to follow the example of their Dutch counterparts and set the stage for a Europe-wide uniform 7% reduction in donor funds to the PA, unless and until the PA stops its "Pay-for-Slay policy" of paying salaries to terrorist prisoners, released prisoners, and families of dead terrorists.
Appalled that Norwegian humanitarian aid could be used to reward terrorists, Norwegian MP Ingjerd Schou commented:
"I do not think it's a good idea to give any funding to prisoners... We have to use Norwegian money to make peace. We should reinforce all the good activities."
[Norwegian Parliament, Jan. 29, 2019]
Upon seeing Marcus' documentation, Swedish MP Mikael Oscarsson immediately responded:
"We want to do as they've done in the Dutch parliament to cut the funding to the PA [by 7%], because we need to put pressure on the Palestinian Authority."
[Swedish Parliament, Jan. 31, 2019]
MP Oscarsson was referring to recent legislation passed in Holland to cut funding to the PA by 7%, the amount of the PA's 2018 budget allocated to categories rewarding terrorists. Dutch Parliament voted 94 to 56 to cut aid to the PA just three weeks after Marcus' presentation before Dutch MPs last November.
MP Oscarsson is planning on using PMW's documentation beyond the funding cuts he seeks, to accomplish broader changes of opinions in Sweden:"I want to thank you Itamar Marcus for coming to Sweden. The job you're doing with Palestinian Media Watch is very important. It gives us information. We're very thankful that you're giving us the facts so that we in the Swedish parliament can use these facts in order to change Swedish attitudes."
[Swedish Parliament, Jan. 31, 2019]
Marcus showed the MPs the PA's antisemitic messages, which have increased in recent years. Among them were for example religious figures on official PA TV who presented Jews as the source of all evil in the world, at times adding that their goal is extermination of the Jews. One of them, a lecturer on Islamic Shari'a at a Palestinian university, explained that Hitler was sent by Allah to punish the Jews, as were the Babylonians, Romans, and other Europeans. Even PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas himself has claimed that the Jews suffered the Holocaust due to their behavior, i.e. because of their "social roles" connected to "usury and banks."
Upon hearing these and other antisemitic statements, the Norwegian and Swedish MPs criticized this PA hate speech, which has a striking similarity to Nazi Germany's messages about Jews prior to the Holocaust. Marcus explained:
"When PA leaders teach Palestinians that Jews are the cause of everything bad that happens in the world, and that Jews have an inherently evil nature and are threatening "all of humanity," this is a repetition of the worst Antisemitic messaging. These hate messages are also directed at Palestinian children and thus passed on to the next generation. Sports tournaments, school books, cultural events, and even music videos glorify terrorists and encourage Palestinian youth to aspire to kill and be killed."