PRESIDENT OF REFUGEES OR HOLY LAND CELEBRITY?

A TRUTHFUL AND BALANCED
PERSPECTIVE ON ISRAEL

PA CONTINUES TO COMPLAIN OF, UNEMPLOYMENT, FALTERING ECONOMY,
AND DESTITUTE LIVING CONDITIONS

Ryan Jones, Israel Today — The Palestinian Authority and its collaborators in the mainstream media like to paint the Palestinian-controlled territories as a land oppressed and destitute. But one has only to look at the palatial living standards of the Palestinian leadership to realize something’s fishy.

This week, photos emerged on social media showing the newly completed palace of Palestinian “president” Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah (pictured above). Many commenters could be excused for at first glance thinking this was an artist’s rendition of the historical and grandiose Jewish Temple in Jerusalem.

Plans to construct this princely dwelling were not unknown. Years ago the Palestinian Economic Council for Development & Reconstruction (PECDAR) posted the project details. And in late–2010 Abbas was photographed by the AP as he laid the cornerstone of this new “West Bank” [formerly named Judea & Samaria] chateau.

But there seemed to be some discrepancies between particulars provided by PECDAR and, well, reality.

First, the Palestinian leadership described the project as a “public facility,” though it is doubtful the average public will ever see its interior. It is listed as a “guest palace,” ostensibly a residence for visiting dignitaries. But that begs two questions: a.) can the cash-strapped Palestinians really afford to be building such lavish “guest houses”?; and b.) if that’s the presidential “guest” palace, what does Abbas’ primary residence look like?!

By way of comparison, here’s a photo of the official, Israeli taxpayer-funded residence of Israel’s prime minister (foreign dignitaries have to stay in a hotel):



The second glaring issue is that PECDAR claims construction of Abbas’ palace was “self-financed.” But as any informed observer knows, the bulk of the Palestinian Authority national budget comes from foreign aid, and even then there’s a huge deficit.

In other words, take a look at the new home your taxes just bought for the head of the PLO!

And, in the meantime, Abbas and his regime are still spending very, very little of that aid to actually boost the Palestinian economy and better the lives of the people he claims to serve.

Several years ago, the Jerusalem Institute of Justice (JIJ) conducted research revealing that since the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1995, the Palestinian Authority had received 25 times more financial aid per capita (considering current inflation) than the citizens of Europe received under the Marshall Plan following World War II.

For those who know their history, the Marshall Plan financially enabled Europe to successfully rebuild following the most devastating war in history.

And yet, having been handed 25 times more cash and resources than post-war Europe, the Palestinian Authority continues to complain of unemployment, a faltering economy and destitute living conditions.

But hey, they’ve got enough to build presidential palaces!

» Full Article

About ‘Israel Today’

ISRAEL TODAY is a Jerusalem-based news agency providing a biblical and objective perspective on local news. Founded in 1978, when it began publishing a monthly German news magazine, the English language edition of Israel Today was launched in January 1999 in order to meet a growing demand for news from Israel to the English-speaking market. Since then, Israel Today has also added editions in Japanese, Korean, Dutch and Norwegian. Israel Today maintains a diverse staff of local journalists who live in the Land and therefore report from firsthand experience, offering a mix of information, interviews, inspiration and daily life in Israel. » Find out more

» Israel Today | Website (English Version with Others Available)

Want more news from Israel? Stay informed, Pray informed!
» Click Here to sign up for our FREE daily email updates

THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB REGARDING ISRAEL

---

And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. ~ Genesis 12:3

VIDEO: HOW AMERICA AND EUROPE FUND PALESTINIAN HATRED

You've read the news. Now understand it.

Israel Today Staff — For Israel, the biggest obstacle to concluding a genuine and lasting peace agreement is that the Palestinians have been indoctrinated with a deep-seated hatred for the Jews, and therefore any deal is likely to fall apart at the first opportunity.

And those portraying themselves as the overseers of this peace process are actually guilty of both initiating and perpetuating this phenomenon.

The first and greatest mistake of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process was importing Yasser Arafat's PLO to speak for and rule the Palestinians. Inexplicably, Western power brokers, and even Israel, trusted that Arafat and his terror gang would suddenly become peace-loving, and transmit that new attitude to the next generation of Palestinian youth.

Instead, the PLO has set up a school system that systematically instructs Palestinian youth to hate the Jews and to seek death in service to the ultimate goal of destroying Israel.

What's worse is that America and Europe, failing to learn from their original mistake noted above, are to this day footing the bill for much of this indoctrination of hate.

A large number of Palestinian public schools operate under the auspices of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the only separate refugee agency ever set up by the UN for any refugee population (even though the Palestinians are not the largest refugee population in modern history).

UNRWA, primarily funded by the US and EU, spends roughly $500 million per year on Palestinian schools, and it employs over 10,000 local teachers. However, UNRWA does not produce texbooks for these schools, but rather lets the PLO-run Palestinian Authority use Western dollars and euros to teach whatever they deem appropriate.

The following video produced by the Israel Resource News Center shows the extent of that mistake.

One striking point made by the documentary is that the so-called Palestinian "right of return" is a major theme in UNRWA schools. Teachers are seen openly instructing their students that they have the right and duty to take back from the Jews towns and villages across the region, including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

"They [the Jews] stole it from us" is the message hammered into each of these young girls and boys.

Some of the teachers go further than that. As one educator explained, the basic curriculum is narrow, and teachers are free to "enrich" it in order to help students fully understand their responsibilities. For instance, he said, religiously-minded teachers in UNRWA schools might teach their students that "Israel must be wiped out."

A scene showing young female students gathering in the courtyard of their school before beginning their daily studies is very telling. The girls repeatedly perform what looks conspicuously like a Nazi salute while chanting the words, "Glory to a liberated and Arab Palestine, Glory to the martyrs...Jerusalem is ours!"

Watch the shocking video:



» Full Article
» Israel Today