Hamas Amps Up Anti-Jewish Rant

In the 15 years since the Oslo accords, the Palestinian Authority under Fatah has tamped down anti-Semitic rhetoric. But in Hamas-controlled Gaza, incitement to violence against Jews has been amped up in everything from sermons to television cartoons. The New York Times investigates how virulent hatred of Jews—not just Israelis—compounds the difficulties of the peace process.

Hamas-aligned imams cite the Koran and the hadith to justify anti-Semitism, not only in sermons but in newspaper columns. On television, one notorious children's show features puppets decrying "Zionist filth" to an 11-year-old girl who extols the virtues of martyrdom. For one Fatah minister, Hamas is creating "a culture of hatred, of closed minds, a culture of sickness" in Gaza. (More Hamas stories.)