Ecology-Minded Palestinians Send Children To Attack: ‘Renewable’

“It’s about a culture.”

Credit: PMW

Beit F’jar, Palestinian Authority, January 5 – Environmental organizations praised Palestinian leaders today for their use of children and teens in attacks on Israel, noting that the phenomenon indicates the society’s awareness of the importance of using renewable resources.

Following this morning’s (Tuesday) stabbing attack by a Palestinian fifteen-year-old on Israelis at the Gush Etzion Junction south of Jerusalem, the Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, and the Nature Conservancy issued a joint statement of appreciation for the continuing effort of Palestinian leaders in encouraging the use of renewable resources such as children as part of their militancy. A large percentage of Palestinian attackers have been minors, and the Palestinian population is disproportionately youthful, and tends to marry and reproduce at a young age, facts that the organizations pointed to as evidence that the Palestinian leadership is making wise use of such renewable assets in encouraging that youthful demographic to try to kill Jews and likely die in the attempt.

“While the rest of the Middle Eastern societies mired in violent conflict make profligate use of weapons and logistical equipment that exacerbate the problematic level of atmospheric carbon and depletes our world of precious natural materials, Palestinians have applied principles congruent with the conservation of our precious resources,” said the statement. “This is visible both in the emphasis on encouraging children to fight and in using such manifestly renewable items as rocks.”

The use of children, said the organizations, is important not only because of the high Palestinian birthrate, but also because of the educational impact. “There is no limit to the didactic value of teaching youth the importance of environmentally sustainable policies,” noted Greenpeace Israel’s director Bohak Smolanski. “But this goes way beyond the mere use of children, which the Islamic State also does. It’s about a culture.” Smolanski cited several other examples of collective Palestinian environmental sensitivity.

“Already during Operation Pillar of Defense, back in 2012, they were getting accolades for the use of photos recycled from the Syrian conflict, and simply recaptioned as if to show wounded or dead Palestinian children, instead of wastefully creating new photos,” he recalled. “And we’ve continually seen the use of empty, otherwise useless bottles repurposed as firebombs. This is a culture worthy of emulation.”

Indeed, notes Keren Yeruka, of the New Israel Fund’s environmental NGO division, the Israeli Left has already adopted some of that ethos. “The political left is still using the same slogans and ideologies of thirty years ago, long after they ceased to fit the circumstances,” she said. “We just have to get the right to let go of its tired, outdated policies.”