The official Palestinian Authority daily newspaper Al-Hayat Al-Jadida this month claimed that Israel’s aim is the “destruction and ruin of humanity†in an article on the selection of Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup competition.
The PA, according to Israel’s leadership and that of the US and Europe, is Israel’s "peace partner."
The latest publication continued the Ramallah-based PA government’s policy of violating the Oslo Accords and the U.S. Roadmap plan, which both call for a cessation of provocations and incitement to terrorism against Israel.
In its December 8 edition, the Arabic-language newspaper, which serves as a mouthpiece for the PA government, wrote an article on Qatar’s selection as World Cup host for 2022. In the article, it mentioned the wildfire that destroyed 50,000 dunams of forested land in the Carmel mountain area around Haifa. The article was translated by the media watchdog organization, Palestinian Media Watch.
The publication, which referred to the devastated area as the "occupied Palestinian Carmel Mountains," claimed that Israel, "whose preparations for destruction and war we hear about daily, is now unable to protect nature, which belongs to [all] mankind. This is a natural outcome for a country whose aim is destruction and ruin of humanity."
"That is the difference between a country (like Qatar) that strives for progress and for human development, and a country (Israel) which disseminates destruction, ruin and weapons in the world," the newspaper claimed. The piece continued with its comparison of Qatar to Israel, claiming to show the difference "between a country which acts to build a human generation, and a country which acts to kill nations, to threaten them and to occupy their land; between a country which acts to disseminate the culture of love and peace, and a country which acts to disseminate the culture of hatred and racism among human beings."
The article was published in the sports section of the PA newspaper.
Less than two dozen firefighters were sent by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to assist Israel in its battle against the blaze. They, along with hundreds of other firefighters sent from countries around the world, helped bring the fire under control in less than week, and were honored by the PA government and by Israel for their efforts.
However, the PA firefighters were not directly involved in fighting the Carmel fire – they were reportedly sent to replace Israeli firefighters who had been deployed to the village of Barta’a, half of which is located within the PA boundaries. The PA firefighters were sent to free up the Israeli firefighters so they could be deployed on the front line to directly battle the blaze. Due to a lack of coordination between security agencies, nine of the firefighters were stopped on their way to an award ceremony in Israel’s north. The cause of the miscommunication was unclear, although MK Ahmed Tibi, an Israeli Arab lawmaker who has been frequently involved in circumstances that skirt incitement against the state, instantly jumped on the opportunity to create a diplomatic disturbance between the government he purports to represent, and the PA.
Nevertheless, a slim majority of Arabs polled by the Ma’an news agency later said it was "disgraceful" for the PA to send firefighters to help Israel with the fire, which took 43 lives and injured many others.