ISRAEL PEACE PARTNER UPDATE

Ken Berwitz

“HAIFA,Israel –  Songs about stabbing Jews to death –including one by the winner of the Arab equivalent of “American Idol”– are all the rage on West Bank airwaves, a year after the twisted hit paradefeatured calls for running down Israelis with cars.

The youth of the Palestinian territories are beingbombarded with funky tunes and catchy lyrics about murder and martyrdom ongovernment-controlled radio amid the ongoing wave of knife attacks plaguingJerusalem. So far, a dozen Israelis have been killed and scores injured, whilemore than 70 Palestinians have been killed carrying out attacks or in mobviolence directed at Israeli security forces. Critics say Palestinian leaders,and now pop stars, are blatantly encouraging the attacks.

“We\’re going down from every house with cleavers andknives,” goes the refrain in “I\’m ComingTowards You, My Enemy.” The same song asks, “How will youescape the ring of fire while the crowds are blocking the way?”

Videos posted on YouTube to accompany the songs regularlyfeature images of Palestinian terrorists stabbing Jews, and then being”martyred” by Israeli forces, or cartoon animations of thePalestinian struggle glorifying the knife as the symbol of resistance.

The ruling Fatah party of Palestinian Authority ChairmanMahmoud Abbas has done little to suppress the songs that pulse to the samemodern Arabian pop beat and feature similar, incendiary lyrics on numerouscompeting chart successes. Other big current hits sweeping the Palestiniancharts and providing a soundtrack to the bloody violence include “Jerusalem isBleeding,” “Continue the Intifada,” and “Stab the Zionist and say God isGreat.”