From the EU and Palestinians Facebook page yesterday:
On the occasion of International Day of #Peace 2016, #Palestinian children will gather tomorrow in central #Ramallah - infront of the Ministry of education at 10:00- to send a message of peace to the world.And today:
Under the slogan ‘We want #peace’, the #children will fly balloons, release white doves into the sky and sign a letter addressing the world to help them build a future of peace and stability.
This event is supported by the #European Union #Peace building Initiative (EUPI), in collaboration with the #Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education.
On the International Day of #Peace:
1000 #Palestinian children send a message of #peace to the world
The #EU Representative and the #Palestinian Minister of Education & Higher Education joined 1000 #Palestinian #children in Ramallah to celebrate the International Day of Peace. Children flew balloons and released white doves into the sky to mark this international day. A group of the children handed over a letter about their hopes and dreams of a better future. Copies of this letter were also sent to the members of the international quartet.
''We remain committed to investing in peace and security,'' said Ralph Tarraf, the EU Representative. ''Today, I joined Palestinian children who express their hopes for a better future in which they can live in peace and dignity. It is heartening to see that future generations share our vision of a peaceful resolution of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians and urge us to act upon it,'' he added.
''We Want Peace'' initiative is supported by the European Union’s Peacebuilding Initiative (EUPI), in collaboration with the Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education.
The EU handed out balloons, gave the kids free T-shirts, and even got the kids to form the word "Peace" in front of the Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education:
In English.
What did this letter that the children supposedly wrote, all on their own, say? How do they define "peace"?
In short, what do Palestinian children think when they say that word?
Do they mean co-existence? Do they mean accepting a Jewish state next to them? Or do they mean that peace will occur only when the Jews have no political power and are relegated to dhimmi status (at best)?
Because that is what they are taught in Arabic. Their maps do not include Israel in any form.
So it may make for a nice photo-op to have Palestinian children release balloons and doves into the air, but the important thing is what they are taught. And from all evidence, they are not taught to embrace real peace.
The EU is not solving the problem - they are perpetuating it by creating PR stunts like this without actually pushing the Palestinian authorities to support normalization and real peace with Israel.
There is also an element of the EU acting condescending towards the Palestinians. The impression one gets from reading the EU descriptions is that the white man teaches the backward savages a new word, he films them playing with their new free toys and he pretends that he civilized them. Peace! Yeah!
To do a thought experiment - can you imagine the EU sponsoring a joint Israeli/Palestinian children peace rally?
Israelis would be all over it. Palestinians would actively fight against it.
And that is all you need to know about what Palestinian children are taught about "peace."