Item 1: Teaching Hate
We start today’s commentary with a three-minute video. It shows a school play recorded at the Al-Hoda pre-school in 2018.
“Children aren’t born to hate. They are taught to.” | Facebook video posted by Standwithus.com
Dear reader, this dramatic performance took place in a kindergarten in Gaza in 2018. Hamas was in charge then. Please read the Snopes confirmation:
“Did Gaza Preschoolers Perform a Mock Execution of an Israeli Soldier?” | Snopes
The parents were told they could get a copy of the “school play recording” by picking it up at the school. Only because of a Facebook posting did it become more widely known and subsequently revealed. That’s how it got on Fox News. Readers may wonder whether this play is a unique event or part of a regular school program.
These same kids were 10 or 11 or 12 when Hamas launched its killing spree on October 7, 2023. They are teenagers today. In the reading list at the end of this commentary are some references to this event and to the teaching of antisemitism and hate. You can decide about this issue for yourself.
Item 2: History and Its Distortion
The references in the reading list tell the story about how 30 Palestinian collaborators conspired and altered the telling of history as described by Wikipedia. In a detailed research effort, ADL rooted out this activity. A report on the independent Arbitration Committee’s action is included in the reading list.
Please note that an astute reader criticized me when I quoted Wikipedia in an earlier commentary about peace in the Middle East and the ongoing series you have seen in the Kotok Report.
The reader was right. I was wrong. I thank him for the criticism and his willingness to engage with me about it.
The Wikipedia post I used was not accurate, in my opinion. All the references to support this conclusion are in the section of the reading list about this issue. Also note that there are still some Wikipedia links that have not been corrected. That is why I cross-check Britannica on every reference. Note that if you use AI searches and don’t cross check, you are vulnerable to manipulation by skilled engineers of propaganda. They are clandestinely inserting distortion into the sources your AI search is finding. AI doesn’t “think.” It is a marvelous tool, and it is very dangerous in the hands of a miscreant user. Those who profess hate and death are miscreants. They are using AI tools skillfully.
Item 3: A Long History of Attacks
The October 7 attack by Hamas from Gaza was and is among a long list of attacks on Israel. The first attack was in 1948 on the first day after the State of Israel was recognized by the UN as an independent country. Here’s a summary of that history from the US State Department:
“The Arab-Israeli War of 1948” | Milestones in the History of US Foreign Relations, Office of the Historian
Five countries attacked Israel in 1948; Israel has ceased kinetic war with two of them — Egypt and Jordan. Diplomacy has replaced war. Syria’s regime has fallen, and Assad is in Russia, hosted by Putin. Hezbollah continues in Lebanon. Hezbollah is armed and supplied by Iran. Nobody knows what will come next in Iraq after the US withdraws. There are references in the reading list.
Item 4: More Dangerous Than Ever
Iran continues to teach hate and to support the extremist and dangerous factions like Hamas; Hezbollah; and the Houthis, who are now fully engaged in war with Saudi Arabia; the Palestinian Islamic Jihad; and other smaller and dangerous purveyors of hate and death. As I see it, Iran is now more dangerous than ever. The IRGC is desperate and has already killed tens of thousands of Iranians by using maximum fear and force to suppress any internal opposition. That has been going on since 1979. Iran gets help with targeting from Russia. And we do not know how much help Russia is giving the Houthis. But we do know that the Houthis have no satellites of their own. Readers can surmise how the Houthis get precise targeting details such as those that enabled the recent missile attack on the Abqaiq Saudi oil infrastructure.
Dear readers, history without context is of little value. We hope that some has been provided here. Young people who are manipulated by AI are among the victims of deception, but they enable the purveyors of hate and death to persist. We can only try to educate and expose them to history. Antisemitism has been around for a long time. Its history precedes Rome. The Middle East is a dangerous place. When you see a video of a mass of people chanting “Death to America,” please take that sentiment seriously.
I respect 9/11 remembrance. I was at the World Trade Center. I respect the remembrance of October 7. Today, too, is a solemn day.
As I watched that blurry reel of young children play-acting roles for which they are being groomed in a centuries’ old drama of hate, the song “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught” came to mind. Hate is not innate to any of us. Tragically, it is learned; it is taught. And acts of hate beget more hate. Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical South Pacific debuted in 1949. Its producers and theatrical supervisors wanted the song “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught” removed from the show because it reminded audiences of the unnecessary ugliness of racial or ethnic prejudice and fear and hate. Rodgers and Hammerstein said no. They dug in their heels. “If the song isn’t in the show, there will be no show,” they said. They understood history and context. As it happened, 1949 was the same year that the new State of Israel was fighting for its existence halfway around the world from the opening performance of the Broadway show called South Pacific.
Further Reading
Item 1: Teaching Hate
“Facebook Video Post” | Facebook
“Did Gaza Preschoolers Perform a Mock Execution of an Israeli Soldier?” | Snopes
“Teaching Hate in Palestinian Schools” | Council on Foreign Relations
“Review of the 2025–2026 Palestinian Authority School Curriculum” | IMPACT-se
Item 2: History and Its Distortion
“Editing for Hate: How Anti-Israel and Anti-Jewish Bias Undermines Wikipedia’s Neutrality” | Anti-Defamation League
“New ADL Report Finds Evidence of Biased, Coordinated Campaign on Wikipedia Related to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict” | Anti-Defamation League
“Group of 30 Wikipedia Editors Include Antisemitic Content, Bias in Pages, ADL Says” | The National Desk
“Arbitration Committee Bans Eight Editors in Israel-Palestine Debate” | Jerusalem Post
“The ADL Says Wikipedia Contains Antisemitic Bias Amid Dispute Over Israel-Hamas Coverage” | WRAL
“Wikimedia Foundation Statement on Volunteer Processes on Reliable Sources” | Wikimedia Foundation
“Wikipedia and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict” | Wikipedia
“Pro-Palestinians Citing Wikipedia” | Reddit
“Wikipedia rebuffs Jewish groups’ call to override editors’ move against ADL” | Times of Israel
Item 3: A Long History of Attacks
“Hamas and Israel: A History of Confrontation” | Reuters
“October 7 Attack” | Britannica
“Israel-Hamas War” | Britannica
“October 7th: Through Their Eyes” | PBS
“Screams Before Silence” (Documentary) | Kastina Films
“We Will Dance Again” (Documentary) | Paramount
“The Second Intifada: A Look Back at the Palestinian Terror Campaign” | Jerusalem Post
“Arab-Israeli Wars” | Britannica
“The Arab-Israeli War of 1948” | U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian
“The Roots and Realities of 10 Conflicts in the Middle East” | Wilson Center
Item 4: More Dangerous Than Ever
“Oil Prices Jump on Houthi Attacks, U.S.-Iran Escalation Fears” | Wall Street Journal
“Oil Prices Rebound, Brent Tops $103” | Yahoo Finance
“Oil Prices Jump After Yemen’s Houthis Claim Attacks on Saudi Facilities” | Al Jazeera
“Yemeni Armed Forces Reportedly Attacked the Abqaiq Oil City in Eastern Saudi Arabia” | Newsquawk
“Are Houthis Using New Modified Cruise Missiles in Yemen’s War?” | Al Jazeera
“Iran Cracks Down on Baha’is in a Year of War, Rights Groups Say” | Associated Press
“Peddling Hate in Iran’s Classrooms” | Thomas B. Fordham Institute
Disclosure:
The information posted on this website (including any related blog, podcasts, videos, and social media) reflects the personal opinions, viewpoints, and analyses of David R. Kotok. David R. Kotok is an independent contractor. He may independently receive payments from various entities for consulting, advisory and board functions, speaking fees, book royalties, advertisements in affiliated podcasts, blogs, and emails. Inclusion of such advertisements does not constitute or imply endorsement, sponsorship, or recommendation thereof, or any affiliation therewith, by the Content Creator or by David R. Kotok.
Nothing on this website constitutes investment advice. It should not be construed as an offer soliciting the purchase or sale of any security mentioned. Nor should it be construed as an offer to provide investment advisory services by David R. Kotok. The information provided on this website (including any information that may be accessed through this website) is not directed at any investor or category of investors and is provided solely as general information.
This content, which may contain security-related opinions and/or information, is provided for informational purposes only. Do not rely upon it in any manner as investment advice. It is not an endorsement of any practices, products or services. You should consult your own advisers as to legal, business, tax, and other related matters concerning any investment.
Any charts provided here are for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon when making any investment decision. As always please remember investing involves risk and possible loss. Any projections, estimates, forecasts, targets, prospects, and/or opinions expressed are subject to change without notice and may differ or be contrary to opinions expressed by others. Information in charts has been obtained from third-party sources believed to be reliable; however, David R. Kotok makes no representations about the accuracy of the information.
