Palestinian Media Watch Bulletin
October 25, 2004
PALESTINIAN MEDIA WATCH
phone: 972- 2- 625-4140 fax: 972-2- 624-2803
visit our website, click here: www.pmw.org.il
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Talking animal promotes massacre with AK-47
on PA TV program for Palestinian children
By Itamar Marcus & Barbara Crook
www.pmw.org.il/tv%20part3.html
Talking animals are commonplace on broadcasting for young children around
the world. They are used to entertain and educate in a way that makes it
easy for children to internalize educational messages.
A children's program this week on official Palestinian Authority (PA) TV
was dedicated to the importance of trees. "Tarabisho" - the Talking Chick
-- was, as usual, at the center of the discussion. The child moderator
asked the talking chick what he would do if someone, specifically a "little
boy," were to chop down his tree. In his squeaky little voice, Tarabisho
answered that he would shoot the little boy with an AK-47 automatic rifle,
create a massacre, make a riot, etc.
It should be noted that the child moderator twice checks her notes while
asking the questions, indicating that this was not a spontaneous discussion
but was a deliberate educational message, planned by the writers and
producers.
www.pmw.org.il/tv%20part3.html
Click here to see the footage from
PA TV.
PMW has reported in the past on the use of popular culture, including music
videos, to teach young children to see themselves as active combatants in
their leaders' terror war. This is the first time a talking animal on a
program targeting preschoolers has been used to promote killing.
The program's political context should also be understood. After four
Israelis, including two preschoolers, were killed by terrorist rockets
fired from the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army entered the wooded launching
areas and leveled many of the trees used by terrorists to hide their rocket
launchers. This program comes on the heels of this military activity.
Although the enemy in the discussion is called a "little boy," the
Palestinian media and even PA schoolbooks repeatedly single out Israel as
the destroyer of trees. It would be clear to Palestinian viewers,
therefore, that Israel would be the target of the massacre promoted by the
TV character.
This picture, from a PA schoolbook for Grade Two, shows Israeli soldiers
destroying
trees:
1deeaee.jpg
The following is the full text of the dialogue between the child moderator
and Tarabisho, the Talking Chick:
Girl: "If a boy comes in front of your house where a tree is planted, and
cuts it down, what would you do?"
Talking Chick: "I have two trees in front of my house."
Girl: "If a little boy cuts them down, what will you do to him?"
Talking Chick: "What I'll do to him?
I'll fight him and make a big riot,
I'll call the whole world and make a riot.
I'll bring AK-47s [assault rifles] and the whole world,
I'll commit a massacre in front of the house".
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