PA duplicity: One message in English, another in Arabic

NASHVILLE - A group that monitors the Palestinian media is warning about messages that are intentionally conflicting -- one in English and one in Arabic.

A pro-Israel advocacy group hosted its annual event during the National Religious Broadcasters convention in Nashville, Tennessee, this weekend. One of the keynote speakers told a packed room that Americans are being deceived by Palestinians concerning their perceived desire for peace.

Palestinian Media Watch founder and director Itamar Marcus told OneNewsNow that the Palestinian Authority speaks in two distinct languages -- English, for foreign consumption; and Arabic, for its internal communication. Marcus, one of the foremost authorities on Palestinian ideology and policy, says his watchdog group monitors how high-ranking Palestinian leaders often make statements in Arabic calling for the demise of both Christians and Jews.

"To their own people they talk about violence, they talk about hatred of Israel, they demonize Israel, they present the world in which Israel doesn't exist and won't exist," he charges.

Marcus, who is also an Israeli counter-terrorism analyst who studies Palestinian culture, contends Americans need to carefully listen to accurately translated Arabic stories to understand the Palestinian Authority's true agenda.

"To the international community in English, they talk about peace with Israel [and] reconciliation," he offers in contrast. "[They are sending] two completely different messages, and it's critical that the world know what they're really saying in Arabic."

Marcus concludes that Palestinians are not the victims in the Middle East, but instead are the problem.