New York, N.Y., September 9, 2002 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today expressed "extreme concern" with recent reports detailing the "education in terror" Palestinian children were receiving at summer camps organized by the Palestinian Authority, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, among others. According to the reports, UNICEF funded a number of these camps.

"Summer camp, where children traditionally participate in sing-alongs and color wars, has been warped by the Palestinians into a sickening display of hatred and intolerance," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. "We are extremely concerned by these reports, particularly since they detail that some of these camps were funded by UNICEF, an organization that has traditionally sought to improve the welfare of children. Therefore, it is imperative that UNICEF scrutinize the camps it sponsors and immediately withdraw funding from those whose only service is to provide an education in terror."

At the summer camps, children were encouraged to learn how to play a role in terrorist attacks, learn how to shoot guns and were given instruction in how to blow up Israeli buses and settlements. Suicide bombers were also glorified with a number of camp groups being named for them.

The League communicated these issues in a letter to UNICEF's Executive Director, Carol Bellamy.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.