Hitler star of Palestinian radio show
Touting Nazi Germany's military campaign as victorious over many adversaries and Adolf Hitler as a hero who 'fought fiercly till the bitter end,' Palestinian radio offers cash reward to listeners who identify Nazi dictator while glossing over Holocaust
According to Palestinian Media Watch, a Palestinian media and education watchdog, this was the question put to listeners of the "Voice of Palestine" radio contest. The winner who called in first and correctly identified Adolf Hitler as the mystery leader, was promised a $150 cash prize.
You can read the transcript as many times as you want, but you won't find a single mention of the Holocaust.
But this is by no means an isolated incident, a special study conducted by the organization's Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook provides an extensive overview of the Palestinian Authority's admiration for Hitler.
"The full broadcast presents Hitler heroically, detailing his two Medals' of Honor in WWI, his rise to power, his launching of WWII and specifies country after country that he conquered. His victories in 1940 are coined 'his golden year,' while his defeat and death are coined: 'his bitter end.' Not surprisingly, though citing his victories and 'bitter' fall in great detail, the Holocaust is not mentioned," Marcus and Crook wrote.
According to authors, "this is consistent with Palestinian education in general, which erases the Holocaust from history. In a new 12th grade Palestinian history schoolbook, many pages are dedicated to the history of WWII and even to Nazi racism, but neither Jews nor the Holocaust are mentioned."
Nice to meet you, my name is Hitler Abu-Alrab
Marcus and Crook stress that Palestinian society simply does not associate Hitler with the horrors his name evokes in the West.
On the contrary - Encountering Palestinians named after Hitler is not unheard of, with examples such as Hitler Salah, Hitler Abu-Alrab, Hitler Mahmud Abu-Libda and more.
Admiration of Hitler, the writers determine, is not limited to any one Palestinian faction but is shared by both Fatah and Hamas and is evident in their news publications: "A contributing factor to this admiration,"
Marcus and Crook write, "may be the history of the Hitler-Arab alliance during WWII... The numerous meetings between the Mufti and Hitler are well documented."
Apreciation of Hitler is also not limited to the media. A 1999 report in al-Hayat al-Jadida reveals that in August of that year 'Mein Kampf' ranked sixth in the list of best selling books in the PA.
