A wooden Star of David with a swastika inside of it was burned during an August 14 Palestinian riot in the West Bank.
The Jerusalem Post reported that the riot took place at the Evytar outpost nearby the Nablus area of the West Bank, and also featured the throwing of “explosives, burned tires, and pointed laser lights at the outpost hilltop.” The rioting has been ongoing since May in response to the establishment of the outpost, as Palestinians view it as potentially disrupting “the Palestinian territorial contiguity,” according to the Post.
Reports that this "demonstration" happened in the Palestinian village of Beita el-Foka tonight, near Nablus
If confirmed, this will be yet another example of the disturbing similarities between neo-Nazi white supremacists and Palestinian antisemites
Disgusting #antisemitism pic.twitter.com/ZqImomX3bR
— Emily Schrader – אמילי שריידר امیلی شریدر (@emilykschrader) August 14, 2021
Additionally, Palestinian organizers of the riot posted to Facebook that Israelis “are worse than Hitler and the Nazis… yes we want to burn you alive,” according to Palestinian Media Watch (PMW). PMW noted that they have “uncovered 16 separate instances of Palestinian official sources comparing Israel to a Nazi state, or accusing Israel of waging a Holocaust against the Palestinians” in 2021 thus far. The media watchdog HonestReporting has also reported that Fatah, the ruling party in the Palestinian Authority (PA), “is actively involved” in these riots and has funneled nearly $1 million to Palestinians in the nearby Beita village, where the rioters were reportedly from.
Major General Ghassan Alian of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories called the burning of the wooden Star of David with swastika inside of it “symbols of hate” in a statement to the Post. “Any comparison between Nazi and Zionist ideas indicates just how ignorant the person who does such a thing really is, both historically and morally.” He urged Palestinians to denounce it.
Jewish groups and Twitter users also condemned it.
“Monstrous Jew-hatred,” the Simon Wiesenthal Center tweeted. “Are these supposed to be Israel’s partners for peace? US, EU, UN, Germany where is your denunciation?”
They asked in a subsequent tweet why the European Union and United Nations “continue to fund this corrupt murderous enterprise … The [Palestinian Authority] and #Hamas have no interest in peace.”
Monstrous Jew-hatred. Are these supposed to be Israel's partners for peace? US, EU, UN, Germany where is your denunciation? #antisemitism https://t.co/LNXbK5vT62
— SimonWiesenthalCntr (@simonwiesenthal) August 15, 2021
Donor nations: @UN + EU why do you continue to fund this corrupt murderous enterprise? The PA and #Hamas have no interest in peace https://t.co/nKLNruingl via @palwatch
— SimonWiesenthalCntr (@simonwiesenthal) August 16, 2021
Stop Antisemitism also tweeted, “This isn’t Charlottesville- it’s Palestinian villagers near Nablus burning a Star of David with a swastika inside. Evil and sadistic.” In a follow-up tweet, they asked members of “The Squad” in Congress if they’re going to condemn the effigy burning.
This isn’t Charlottesville- it’s Palestinian villagers near Nablus burning a Star of David with a swastika inside.
Evil and sadistic. pic.twitter.com/uGYCuInunh
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) August 15, 2021
Where are you condemnations of this evil? @AOC @repmarkpocan @IlhanMN @RashidaTlaib @CoriBush @betty
Or do you only care when you can bash Jews?
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) August 15, 2021
StandWithUs tweeted that the burning was “shocking.” “This is blatant #antisemitism. And what’s worse, these rioters are encouraging young children to hate Jews.”
WATCH: Shocking! Palestinian rioters, including young children, lit up a flaming Star of David with a swastika during a protest in Judea and Samaria on Saturday evening. This is blatant #antisemitism.
And what's worse, these rioters are encouraging young children to hate Jews. pic.twitter.com/DR4ZcW0zzs— StandWithUs (@StandWithUs) August 15, 2021
HonestReporting also tweeted, “Will media reports draw attention to the Western-backed Palestinian Authority for desecrating the memory of the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust?”
Horrendous incitement as a Swastika embedded into a Star of David burned at recent PA-backed Palestinian protest.
Will media reports draw attention to the Western-backed Palestinian Authority for desecrating the memory of the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust? pic.twitter.com/jOyGhio9pL
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) August 16, 2021
On the other hand, Palestinian activist Mohammed Zain told the Post that the rioters are “heroes.” “We will continue the peaceful protests until we foil the Israeli government’s plan to seize our lands. What happened on Saturday is not because we are against the Jewish religion, or because we support Hitler. We just wanted to send a message that there isn’t much of a difference between Israel and the Nazis.”
Another activist, Mohammed Nasser, similarly told the Post: “The men who burned the Star of David did not kill or injure anyone. Journalists should focus on the Israeli army’s crimes and not on a peaceful protest. Everyone is talking about Saturday’s incident and not the Beita martyrs who were killed in the past few weeks for defending their land.”
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