The Hate Industry: Strong anti-Semitic propaganda employing the The Protocols of the Elders of Zion in a recent radio broadcast from Damascus. Harsh anti-Israeli incitement with anti-Semitic themes consistently appears in the Syrian media.

Israelis represented as thieves of Palestinian organs: A safecracker (right) meets an organ thief (left) and asks about his instruments. The organ thief says, "These are my tools." Tishrin, September 17, 2009

A. On December 1, 2009, at 19:07 in the evening, Radio Damascus broadcast particularly offensive anti-Semitic propaganda employing The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and reviling Jewish religious figures. The commentator was the well-known Faez Qandil, who broadcasts the "voice of Palestine" corner on Radio Damascus' "Discussion of the Day" program. He said the following:

1. He began by saying that "There is no escape from the fact that whoever follows Zionist crime will find the villainous texts knows as The Protocols, that is, the documents of the rabbis of Zion and not of the elders of Zion, as it is customary [to think]. The Protocols allow for the killing of non-Jewish children..."

2. He also said that the book by Theodore Herzl, the founder of Zionism, contained things far worse that those found in The Protocols of the Elders of Zion: "Herzl says that if we — that is, the Jews — get Palestine, we will destroy everything in it that is not Jewish — all the Muslim and Christian holy places..."

3. He also referred to a book issued by one of the rabbis, whom he called "a desiccated mummy." [It is unclear which book is meant.] He said the book was supported by "other scum from among the desiccated mummies called rabbis..." He accused the rabbis of [preaching] genocide in complete opposition to the concept that such a crime cannot be committed by a monotheistic faith or even by a non-monotheistic one.

4. He ended by warning the rabbis that "every Zionist criminal" would pay the highest price [i.e., will pay with his life] if he even harmed an Arab civilian. He appealed to the "Israeli mummies known as rabbis," saying that the intifada, which is currently inactive, could easily become active. He reminded the rabbis that the previous intifada led to the expulsion of Zionists from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and even made "many Zionists" leave Palestine and go to "their real countries in Europe."

B. The article is the rule rather than the exception in the Syrian media, which is generally characterized by strong anti-Israeli propaganda laced with blatant anti-Semitic themes. Such propaganda often appears in the press and on the radio and television, all of which are subject to the strict supervision of the Syrian regime. Bashar Assad's regime proclaims its desire for peace with Israel as a strategic choice, and has again suggested the renewal of negotiations with Israel (on Syria's terms). However, the regime not only does not make the slightest effort to prepare Syrian public opinion for coexistence with Israel and the normalization of relations between the two countries, it consistently permits and even encourages strong anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic propaganda and incitement
 

Dr. Reuven Erlich is Director of the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center in Israel. Its website address is http://www.intelligence.org.il

This article appeared December 6, 2009 on the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center and is archived at
http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/sy_e003.htm. Email them at news@terrorism-info.org.il

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