Ministry for Diaspora Affairs | October 2024

Chapter 4: Antisemitism and Indoctrination Promoting the Destruction of Israel in Summer Camps for Students

1 The PLO conducts annual summer camps in the Gaza Strip, Judea and Samaria, and East Jerusalem to serve as a complementary framework to the school year. In practice, they also supplement the attitudes tawrds Israel and the conflict taught in formal education throughout the school year. 2 The camps are held under the auspices of the Palestinian High Council for Youth and Sports, which is subordinate to the PLO, and headed by Jibril Rajoub, the Secretary of the Fatah Central Committee. 52 The children attending the camps learn about terrorists who carried out attacks against Israelis, and the terrorists’ actions are glorified and commemorated. Additionally, the children’s perception that the State of Israel has no right to exist is strengthened. This chapter will focus on the summer camps of the PLO and Fatah. 53 3 In 2023, about 65,000 children participated in the summer camps. 54 The 650 camps took place throughout Judea and Samaria, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem under the name “Lights, Not Numbers.” 4 The choice of the name “Lights, Not Numbers.” was meant to raise awareness of terrorists whose bodies are held by Israel and have not yet been returned. Rajoub said at the closing ceremony that “the name ‘Lights, Not Numbers’ was chosen out of a firm belief that “our martyrs are lights who sacrificed their lives for the homeland” and that they were and will remain in the memory of the people.” 55

5 Ahmad Hales, a member of Fatah’s Central Committee and Commissioner of Recruitment and Organization in the Gaza Strip, said that the name chosen for the summer camps “is significant because it introduces the pioneers [i.e., the camp trainees] to the suffering of the families of the martyrs, whose bodies are held in the number cemeteries.” 56 Glorification of Terrorists 6 Children in the camps learned about terrorists who were presented as heroes to follow. For example, children were photographed in summer camps in Hebron and Bethlehem holding a picture of the terrorist Dalal al-Mughrabi.

Children in summer camps in Hebron and Bethlehem carrying posters with the image of Dalal al-Mughrabi

A child in a camp in Bethlehem holds up a picture of the suicide bomber in the Mahane Yehuda market (2002), Andalib al-Takatka. Six people were killed and over 80 were injured in the attack

52 This chapter is primarily based on MEMRI Institute for Middle East Media Research materials. See: PLO Summer Camps (A): Praise and Glorification of Terrorists (memri.org.il);

PLO Summer Camps (B): Encouragement of Non-Recognition of Israel and Calls for the Return of Palestinian Refugees to It (memri.org.il); Summer Camp for Fatah Youth in Salfit: Weapons Lessons, Visits to Terrorists’ Graves, and Familiarization with Terrorist Operatives (memri.org.il) 53 Terror organizations in Gaza, led by Hamas, exploit summer camps, among other things, to recruit for the military wings of the organizations. For more information, see reports from the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center and MEMRI. 54 The Palestinian Supreme Council for Youth and Sports has previously received funding from the European Union and UN institutions. It is considered the Palestinian body with which international organizations cooperate to develop programs for Palestinian youth.

55 https://t.me/hcyspalestine 56 https://palestinefuture.net/

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