UN Funding Summer Camps Honoring Terrorists

PMW has been reporting on the repeated Palestinian Authority [PA] naming of
children's camps this summer after terrorists, including suicide terrorists,
and it seems from the mention of "UNICEF" in the PA papers that the UN is a
significant supporter of these camps. The summer camps, are often named
after specific terrorists or just the general term "Shahid", meaning "Died
for Allah", the term the PA uses to honor the terrorists, as well as others
who died in the conflict with Israel. A girl's summer camp was named after
Wafa Idris, a woman suicide terrorist.

Beyond the act of naming the summer camps for terrorists, the camps include
activities and lectures designed to present the terrorists as role models
and heroes for the children, such as visits to their families, discussions
about them and more. The camps are under the auspices of the PA Ministry of
Youth and Sports and UNICEF is singled out and thanked in news articles for
their financial support of the camps.

The following are articles mentioning UNICEF or describing the activities,
from among many other similar articles:

1. "Yesterday the activities of the scouts' Shahid [died for Allah] camp in
Dir Al-Ballah were officially unveiled . under the supervision of the scouts
' authority in the Youth and Sports Department . and with the support of
UNICEF. 140 scouts of both sexes took part in the camp ." [Al-Hayat
Al-Jadida, July 22, 2003]

2. In the Ibn-Al-Hitham elementary school in Nablus, activities at the
"Shahids of Chattin" summer camp drew to a close. This [camp] had been
organized by the Youth and Sports Department, in conjunction with the
Chattin division scouts' club, UNICEF and the national committee for summer
camps. In honor of this event a grand ceremony took place . Al-Issui gave a
speech on behalf of the Minister of Youth and Sport in which he recalled the
Shahids for Palestine, after whom the camp was named. During the ceremony
there were artistic interludes presented by the Shahid Mahmad Al-Tzabar
choir, along with the Shahid Abu Jibran Group and the group [named after]
the two Shahid brothers Kemal and Tissir Abu-Shahab ."
[Al-Quds, July 23, 2003]

3. "Yesterday, activities ended in the camp named after the Shahida [Died
for Allah] Wafa Idris, for girls in the city of Kalkiliya. The camp was
founded by the Scout general administration in the Ministry of Youth and
Sports. The camp was under the supervision of the Scouts in the Kalkiliya
Administration and about 100 girls from the organizing committee of the city
's Scouts participated.
".[At the closing ceremonies thanks were given including] to UNICEF for its
support of the camps." [Al-Ayyam July 18, 2003]
[Note: Wafa Idris, was the first woman suicide terrorist.]

4. "The Palestinian Union for Culture, Sciences and Development continues
with the activities of the fifth round of the summer camps (which) bears the
title: "The Shahid Al-Amarin." [150 boys and girls aged 12 and 13 are taking
part in this camp.]
Yesterday the camp's participants went to the home of the Shahid [died for
Allah] Jihad Al-Amarin, where (they were greeted by) the Shahid's wife,
children and family. During the visit there were speeches praising the
virtues of the Shahid Jihad Al-Amarin, who was assassinated a year ago by
the forces of the occupation.
[note: Jihad Al-Amarin, the founder of the Al-Aksa Martyrs' Brigade, was
killed by Israel.]

The Shahid's wife expressed her joy at our people's loyalty to her husband,
stating that the Shahid Jihad followed a national mission. During the visit
the Shahid's wife was presented with the camp's shield." [Al-Hayat
Al-Jadida, July 13, 2003]

to SUBSCRIBE to PMW's reports send an empty e-mail to
reports-subscribe [at] pmw.org.il