Despite the many differences between Fatah and Hamas, the two warring factions of the Palestinian Authority have found at least one point of agreement: it's good business to kidnap IDF soldiers, and the best way to free terrorist prisoners in Israel.
Fatah leads the Palestinian Authority government in Ramallah and has been at the forefront of negotiations with the United States and Europe, presenting a "moderate" face to the international community. Hamas, which wrested total control of the Gaza region from Fatah in a bloody militia war two and a half years ago, meanwhile has maintained the fundamentalist, Islamist image to the world. But while Fatah has maintained its "moderate" stance, raking in billions of dollars in international aid, it has done little to facilitate the return of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.
Fatah PA Minister of Prisoners Ashraf Al-Ajrami openly advocated for the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers in a PA TV broadcast on June 5, 2008, explaining the abductions would force Israel to release terrorists.
Hamas PA Interior Minister Said Siam, if anything, has an even longer history of calling on operatives to kidnap Israeli soldiers. One such example is a video clip of a speech by Siam from an Abu Dhabi TV broadcast on June 26, 2006.
Both broadcasts were picked up and translated by Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), a watchdog organization devoted to monitoring PA broadcasts and print media.
PA media has repeatedly pointed out that the June 2006 abduction of Shalit by terrorists from three Gaza-based groups linked to Hamas has yielded great benefits to the terrorist community. The continued captivity of this single Israeli soldier has merited more than three years of continuous negotiations over freedom for 1,400 terrorists jailed in Israeli prisons in exchange for his release.
A cartoon published last month (August 28) in the PA government-controlled newspaper Al-Quds showed Gilad Shalit as the key to a lock with the text "Prisoners." (The text on the key is: "Shalit", and the text on the lock is "prisoners.")
The cartoon hearkens back to the above videos, as well as two animations that were broadcast over Hamas TV earlier this year, both showing Shalit as prime leverage in negotiations for the release of terrorists in Israel. As with the cartoon as well as the two video clips, both animations were monitored and translated by Palestinian Media Watch.
Animations: Fatah, Hamas Encouraged by Israel's Weakness
Splinter groups in Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hizbullah have all made it clear they have been encouraged in recent years by Israel's willingness to buckle to their demands to release thousands of terrorists, including those with "blood on their hands," in exchange for the freedom of Israeli captives, alive or dead. The two animations applaud the PA kidnapping-for-hostage policy, and both advocate more kidnappings of Israeli soldiers.
Following are the transcripts of both. The first Hamas TV animation mocks Israeli hostage Gilad Shalit and promises more kidnappings of soldiers:
(Song) "In the prisons, our heroes cried with joy: Our day of release has come; this land is our country! You [Israelis] will all be 'Gilads'. We'll capture you."
(Hamas child uses a stone to scrape away at a chain painted on a wall.)
Child [to chain]: "You don't want to break- that's OK. Take your time; we're not in a hurry, we're very patient."
(Child drops stone, and image of Gilad Shalit appears on stone.)
Child [to stone - Shalit]: "You stay where you are; don't move. Tomorrow we'll be back and we'll finish the job."
(Song) "It is inevitable that the chains will be broken."
(The video ends with the stone - Gilad Shalit - crying: "Mommy!" in Hebrew)
[Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas), April 21, 2009]
The second animation mocks Israeli hostage Gilad Shalit and simply promotes the kidnapping-for-hostage policy:
Gilad Shalit: "Mommy!"
Hamas child: "Who is it? Gilad [Shalit]? [Child laughs] Poor you! You've been rotting here for 3 years, and no one cares."
Gilad Shalit: "Please release me!"
Hamas child: "Are you asking me to be a collaborator and a traitor, that I'll betray my people and my homeland? Are you crazy!"
Gilad Shalit: "I have an idea: You [Hamas] go and capture more soldiers, they [Israelis] will be afraid and accept your terms to free me."
Hamas child: "Ah, they will free you not because they love you, but to prevent anxiety among your soldiers, so they won't be afraid, and stop their military service."
Gilad Shalit: "True."
Hamas child: "Gilad, stay here, and pray that [Hamas] succeeds in capturing another [soldier], so you'll be freed. Bye."
Gilad Shalit: "Mommy! Mommy! (in Hebrew) Free me!"
[Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas), July 6, 2009]