BICOM

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday led a cabinet discussion on Palestinian Authority (PA) sanctioned incitement against Israel, emphasizing the importance of dealing with it in order to reach a peace agreement.

The issue of incitement and what Netanyahu described as a “culture of hate” in PA-sponsored schools, media and mosques was raised during his talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry over the weekend. Netanyahu subsequently asked Strategic and Intelligence Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz to present yesterday’s cabinet meeting with a briefing on the issue. This included an analysis of relevant Palestinian media outlets that promote the idea of Israel’s inevitable disappearance, argue that Jews are sub-human creatures and deny any Jewish connection to Israel or the country’s right to exist.

Netanyahu called it a “grave phenomenon” and said “True peace cannot exist without stopping the incitement against Israel and educating for peace.” In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office said that since peace talks resumed in July, “incitement has not gone down, and has even increased in certain areas.” During yesterday’s cabinet debate, Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon commented, “An integral part of Israeli education is aspirations toward peace… That doesn’t exist in the Palestinian Authority… it’s only worsened.”

However, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, who also heads Israel’s negotiating team, said that Palestinian incitement only further underscored the need to conclude a peace deal. She said, “Palestinian incitement is a threat. It’s terrible to teach children to hate. Therefore, I don’t understand those here who do not want to reach an agreement. It’s our responsibility to act and create a solution.” She called the incitement “a difficult reality, but it is not a reason to stop working toward an agreement.” Her Hatnuah Party colleague, Environment Minister Amir Peretz supported Livni’s position.

Meanwhile, Steinitz is scheduled to present the findings of his ministry’s analysis on Palestinian incitement to the international media later today.