Arafat's PA Terms Settlers "Terrorists", Declines to Condemn Murder of
Israeli Family

Dr. Michael Widlanski Date: 3 May 2004

The Monday morning broadcast of Yasser Arafat's Voice of Palestine (VOP)
said that the settlers from Neveh Dekalim, five of whom were murdered
yesterday, were "mukharibun" - terrorists. The reference to the settlers as
terrorists was in a VOP report that the settlers were preparing to build a
new neighborhood in the settlement. Once again today, VOP did not condemn
the attack yesterday that killed a pregnant mother and her four children but
did vigorously condemned the "cowardly act" by Israel in attacking a Hamas
radio station which had exhorted Palestinians to carry out further attacks
against Israel. There were no reported casualties in this Israeli attack.

Michael Widlanski, who teaches at the Hebrew University's Rothberg School,
is a former reporter for The New York Times, The Cox Newspapers, and The
Boston Globe. He recently completed his doctorate on the political role of
the Palestinian mass media.