Following the car-ramming attack by a neo-Nazi at the recent, violent protest in Charlottesville, many American conservatives made clear their disgust with the variety of racist groups gathered there. Many on both right and left also criticized the president for not being quicker and less equivocal in his condemnations. Yet, notes Ruthie Blum, many leftwing commentators “went even further, blaming not only Trump but the United States itself for the climate that led to the events in Virginia, with [one writer] arguing that ‘What Happened in Charlottesville Is All Too American.’” Blum wonders why the same premise of guilt by association doesn’t apply to the Palestinian Authority (PA):
PA schools and summer camps educate children to believe that murdering on behalf of the “liberation of Palestine”—and in the name of Allah—is not only honorable but worthy of glorification. PA imams preach jihad. PA sports arenas and tournaments are named after “martyred” terrorists, all of whose families receive a salary of more than $3,000 per month for life. . . .
Although Hamas, the terrorist organization that rules the Gaza Strip, is shunned by U.S. negotiators, Fatah, the party headed by the PA president Mahmoud Abbas, is considered a potential partner for peace with Israel.
Official Fatah social-media pages, however, openly laud and encourage “lone wolves” to arm themselves with knives and vehicles with which to slaughter Israelis whenever and wherever possible. . . . A Palestinian who uses his car as a deadly weapon is viewed by his peers and rulers as a hero. Physical violence is officially sanctioned and rewarded.
An American who commits violence is demonized by everyone other than a handful of hardcore bigots. Still, many in the U.S. consider America to be a racist country and the Palestinians worthy of stalwart support.
Read more on Gatestone: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10833/charlottesville-lessons