Palestinian Authority Libel: Israel spreads drugs and poison among Palestinian youth

The Palestinian way to deny responsibility for societal problems is to always blame Israel. In response to the drug problem among Palestinian youth, a PA district governor accused Israel of intentionally spreading drugs to harm the resilience of Palestinian youth:

"Qalqilya District Governor Hussam Abu Hamda emphasized the danger of the drug scourge, which the occupation (i.e., Israel) is working to spread among young people to weaken social resilience. He said: ‘The Palestinian society is being subjected to an attack directly targeting the Palestinian individual. This is done by harming his potential and values, and by damaging the social fabric through the spreading of this dangerous scourge.'"

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, July 17, 2025]

For years, the PA has spread the libel that Israel has a deliberate policy of spreading drugs among Palestinian youth. Recently, it was repeated again by official PA TV:

Official PA TV host: "The occupation (i.e., Israel) is trying in every way to insert poison and drugs to the Palestinian youth. How is the activity of the [PA Police] Anti-Narcotic Administration being affected? …"

PA Police Anti-Narcotic Administration Deputy Head Wisam Al-Bahri: "This is the foremost challenge from our perspective."

[Official PA TV, Palestine This Morning, June 26, 2025]

Similarly, a PA TV reporter in the Gaza Strip libeled Israel, claiming that Israel is trying to hurt Gazans by transferring drugs in flour sacks. The reporter added that Israel also transfers bags of flour "mixed with sand or cement":

Official PA TV reporter in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza: "Recently, the occupation (i.e., Israel) has deliberately imported and brought in a number of prohibited items, drugs, and sedatives that require medical supervision for those who consume them, and this is through some of the flour sacks (i.e., humanitarian aid sacks to Gaza). This is in addition to damaging some of the flour sacks that reached us with mixed with sand or cement. Sometimes cigarette tobacco and hookah tobacco have also been smuggled inside these sacks. However, this time we noted as a matter of very special importance [the smuggling] of these drug pills and pills whose entry is prohibited by [smuggling them in] these sacks. The occupation is attempting to kill the residents with various and diverse means."

Official PA TV host: "In all ways and by all means."

[Official PA TV, July 5, 2025]

Israel is "the Occupation"

The PA has an official policy of not referring to Israel by name, which implies legitimacy and recognition, but to call Israel merely "the occupation." In the three different items above that have nothing to do with land, "the occupation" is the only term all the different speakers used when referring to Israel:

"The occupation is trying in every way to insert poison…"
"Recently, the occupation has deliberately imported [drugs]… "
"The occupation is attempting to kill the residents…"
"The drug scourge, which the occupation is working to spread…"