Israeli security intercepted a plot Wednesday involving two 8-year-old, knife wielding Palestinian children seeking to carry out a stabbing attack against Israelis.
The children "admitted to have been sent, armed with knives, in order to carry out a terror attack," the Israel Defense Forces said.
The boys were seen near a security fence and detained outside of a Jewish community in the West Bank, south of Jerusalem.
Over the last year, Palestinian terrorists have killed over 34 Israelis and wounded dozens. Some of the terrorists conducting stabbing attacks were as young as 11.
Mainstream U.S. media outlets continue to push the argument that Israel's military presence and Palestinian despair are the root causes of Palestinian attacks. Yet this line of reasoning cannot explain the terrorist motivations of 8-year-old boys. Hateful brainwashing and ideological radicalization is at the core of this phenomenon. Observers of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will find ample evidence that confirms systematic and societal-level brainwashing of young Palestinians, glorifying terrorists, and encouraging future generations to attack and kill Jews.
Over the years, Palestinian children have participated in terrorist promoting parades in the Gaza Strip and are taught to prepare for a holy war against the "Zionist enemy."
"Children in this world do not dream about becoming doctors, pilots or engineers," journalist Khaled Abu Toameh notes. "Rather, they dream of destroying Israel and 'liberating Palestine.' In fact, an entire generation of Palestinians, particularly those in the Gaza Strip, has been raised on the glorification of suicide bombers and anyone who kills a Jew."
Last week, students at Ramallah's Al-Quds University established a memorial for the school's "heroic Martyrs" who participated in deadly attacks targeting Israelis.
"Beware of natural death; do not die, but amidst the hail of bullets," reads text on the memorial stone and translated by Palestinian Media Watch. It remains Palestinian Authority (PA) policy to encourage young Palestinians to engage in terrorism, even if it means certain death. In July, the PA glorified Palestinian high school students killed while conducting terrorist attacks against Israelis, arguing that the youth took "the path to excellence and greatness" over completing studies and enhancing their lives.
Western governments, media outlets, and human rights organizations have yet to express outrage at the exploitation of young children to commit murder. Instead of focusing solely on Israel's presence, international actors could help young Palestinians by exposing and pressuring the forces that contribute to their desperation – the Palestinian politicians and institutions that consistently fuel societal incitement and violent brainwashing.