NYPost
BOMBS 'R' US
By BILL HOFFMANN
December 11, 2001 -- This shocking photo shows a little Palestinian boy, who should be playing with toys, being cruelly robbed of his childhood.
He and other kids - as young as 4 and no older than 8 - are fitted with fake explosives as they are taught how to become suicidal ter rorists by members of the Palestinian terror group Hamas.
These classes of hate, which were held over the weekend, were part of the 14th anniversary celebration of Hamas in Ain El Helweh, the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon.
Hamas has claimed responsibility for recent suicide bombings in Israel that have claimed 25 lives.
Followers say it's an honor to die as a martyr to their cause- an ideal drummed into their heads at a very early age.
That's evident in these exercises, in which about 40 boys were lined up and fitted with empty explosives canisters.
Then, hooded Hamas members - many of them the boys' fathers - showed them the proper way to detonate the canisters to turn themselves into human bombs.
Just as American boys play enthusiastically with G.I. Joe, the Palestinian kids happily practiced over and over again.
Next, the youngsters changed into camouflage fatigues and were given toy rifles to allow them to get comfortable holding and operating firearms.
In one task, the boys were ordered to crawl across a field on their bellies, with guns drawn and ready to fire.
In another, they were instructed on how to conceal their weapons until reaching their targets.
Some of the youngsters made gunshot noises as they pretended to blow away their enemies.
Those who had a hard time getting through the drills had to go back and do them again.
Of course, none of these kids would be asked to sacrifice their lives now, at such a tender age.
According to Hamas, that opportunity must wait until they are at least 18.
But many of the pint-sized soldiers-to-be couldn't seem to contain their glee at the thought of violence.
Later, as they watched more than 1,000 Palestinian adults firing their rifles into the air to celebrate Hamas' birthday, the boys wildly cheered and applauded like kids at a World Series game.
And they excitedly spoke with each other about growing up to be fearless Hamas soldiers.
With the warping of young minds being so easy, it was not surprising to hear last night that the Lebanon head of Hamas has vowed more suicide attacks.
Osama Hamdan also warned Palestinian President Yasser Arafat against heeding U.S. and Israeli calls for a crackdown on militants.
"The resistance continues as long as the occupation does," a defiant Hamdan told crowds in Ain el-Hilweh.
In Lebanon, where the Hamas boys were training, more than 350,000 Palestinians are registered as refugees. Denied the right to work legally or own property, many are vocal supporters of Hamas, which rejects the idea of a negotiated peace with Israel.
Hamas has roots in the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and
was forged in 1987 during the "Intifada," a violent uprising
against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza
Strip.
-- Anonymous, December 11, 2001