Memo to Israeli victims of terror: The West does not care

Today, Israel experienced yet one more horrific terrorist attack, one of probably tens of thousands since Israel declared its independence in 1948. Yet, Palestinian incitement continues to be funded by the West. Just yesterday, the Swedish government refused to link aid to the Palestinian Authority on curbing incitement.

Israeli Arab journalist Khaled Abu Toameh has several times demanded that aid to the PA be linked to ending incitement. As far back as 2008, he wrote, “The Palestinian Authority is totally dependent on the US and EU for its survival. Why not use the funding as a linkage to persuade Abbas to change the tone and halt the incitement?”

But the PA continues to receive funds without any meaningful strings attached. The PA continues to pay Palestinian families for the dubious honor of having raised a terrorist, it continues to pay the terrorists themselves, and President Mahmood Abbas continues to glorify terrorists in his speeches, even at the United Nations, in front of the whole world!

Why does the West continue to fund the PA under these circumstances? By fear that the PA would turn to Iran or other contemptible sources for funds? What have Palestinian terrorists done that they would do worse if funded by Iran? At least if Iran funded the PA, we could dispense with the lie that Abbas wants a two-state solution when everyone knows that he does not.

The only reason for funding the PA under these circumstances is that despite all evidence to the contrary, the West has bought into the narrative that the Palestinians just want peace while Israel just wants more land. The West apparently believes that “resistance” to Israeli “occupation” is legitimate even through terrorism.

In his latest article, Abu Toameh was somewhat optimistic that the West may be starting to hold the PA accountable for the way it spends its funds, but he cautiously added, “Of course, President Abbas and his friends might still find a way to blame Israel. This tactic has worked wonders in the past.”

Some politicians in the West will denounce this attack, but most will not; however, whether they denounce it or not, as long as they continue funding the PA terror network, they are sending one message loud and clear: they do not care about Israeli victims of terror.