by Walla, Jerusalem Post Staff
"Antisemitism and a discourse of delegitimizing Zionism are not accidental [...] This is an expression [...] that teaches how far the path is to prepare the Palestinians for public reconciliation."
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A fifth of the opinion columns in the official Palestinian Authority (PA) newspaper, "Al-Hayat Al-Jadida," contain antisemitic content, a new Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) study published on Israel Hayom on Monday revealed.
JPPI's research systematically examined the discourse in the official PA newspaper between January 2022 and August 2025. The study was mainly based on content analysis, using advanced artificial intelligence tools, of over 2,300 opinion articles published in the newspaper.
The purpose of the study was to examine the prevalent attitudes within the Palestinian Authority toward Israel and Jews, as well as toward Hamas and the events of October 7.
The research was conducted using AI analysis tools that enable the measurement of sentiment and linguistic patterns, and the identification of formulations with antisemitic characteristics or those that lead to the delegitimization of Israel.
"Antisemitism," for the purposes of this study, was defined according to the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) definition, which is the accepted term by the Israeli government and a large portion of Jewish organizations in the Diaspora.
Study's key findings
Regarding antisemitism and the discourse of denying Zionism, JPPI's research found that approximately 20% of the articles mentioning Jews contained distinctly antisemitic content.This included the denial of the very existence of the "Jewish people," claims of Jewish control over the global economy and American elites, and comparisons between Israel and Nazism, the Crusaders, and various colonial entities.
Even in articles that do not mention Jews, Zionism was almost always presented as a colonial movement and the source of Palestinian suffering. However, it should be noted that no significant change was found in the rate of antisemitism before and after October 7, 2023.
Regarding content related to Hamas and the October 7, the study examined the material across three periods for comparison: the period before October 7, the period from October 7 until the first ceasefire (November 30, 2023), and the period of continued war after the first ceasefire.
During the evaluated periods, sentiment (negative, positive, etc.) was analyzed alongside descriptions of Hamas as a legitimate entity. According to the study's findings, in the vast majority of the opinion columns examined, Hamas was presented as a negative and illegitimate entity, associated with the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran.
Before October 7, 62% of the articles on Hamas were "very negative," 21% were "negative," and 5% "somewhat negative." About 10% were defined as "neutral." 82% of the articles referred to Hamas as "illegitimate."
During the first few weeks after the events of October 7, there was a temporary moderation in the attitude toward Hamas. In this period, no articles defined as "very negative" were found, and only 22% were defined as "negative."
Meanwhile, 67% of the articles in this period were defined as "neutral" regarding Hamas and its legitimacy, and about 11% were even defined as "somewhat positive."
Positive articles about Hamas were rare in the study period, mostly concealed behind calls for national unity under the PLO rather than expressing direct support for the organization.
Following the pause in the war, the columns returned to harsh criticism and condemnation of the Hamas organization as illegitimate: 47.5% of the articles were classified as "very negative," 19.5% as "negative," and 12% as "somewhat negative." 19% were classified as neutral. In this context, Hamas is presented as illegitimate in 76% of the articles.
Regarding the attitude in content from Al-Hayat Al-Jadida articles towards the October 7 events, the study found that about 67% of the articles that referred to the massacre presented the event in a negative light, with 39% classified as "very negative," 21% as "negative," and 7% as "somewhat negative."
In a quarter (25%) of the articles, the attitude was neutral, and in only about 7% it was positive. The primary criticism was not about the murders themselves but about the fact that the attack "provided Israel with an excuse" to expand its military operations and the resulting severe consequences for Palestinians.
As the study found regarding attitudes toward Hamas, the negative attitude toward the October 7 events also intensified after the first ceasefire (November 30, 2023).
In 62% of the articles, JPPI's research found that attitudes toward a possible agreement with Israel were negative (44% were classified as "very negative"), with the writers presenting Israel as a colonial entity with which genuine agreement is not possible.
On the other hand, in almost a third (30%) of the articles, the attitude toward the option of achieving a settlement with Israel was positive. In 7.5% of the articles, the attitude is neutral.
Study's findings reflect characteristics of official Palestinian Authority discourse
The study's authors, Yaakov Katz, Shlomi Braznik, and Eli Kanai, from the JPPI Information Center, emphasized that the findings reflected the characteristics of the official discourse in the Palestinian Authority, as the newspaper examined is essentially a spokesperson for it.The language used in the newspaper maintained a hostile line toward Israel and Zionism and was tainted with blatant antisemitism, the study found. The sharp criticism of Hamas stemmed from the rejection of political Islam as part of the power struggle over control of the Palestinian people.
The President of the Jewish People Policy Institute, Prof. Yedidia Stern, said, "The findings reveal that an official PA newspaper maintains an antisemitic narrative with the denial of Zionism. On the other hand, it rejects Hamas and presents it as an extremist and illegitimate factor."
She added, "This discourse expresses a deep lack of trust both toward Israel and toward Hamas, which the Authority views as a political competitor threatening its status."
"Antisemitism, blaming Israel, and a discourse of delegitimizing Zionism are not accidental," she explained. "They are part of a fixed normative framing in the Authority's official press. This is a distinct expression of an internal discourse that teaches how far the path is to prepare the Palestinian public for reconciliation."
Walla, Jerusalem Post Staff
Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-874255
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