Palestinians: Eating with a Jew is a Crime by Khaled Abu Toameh  •  May 22, 2020 at 5:00 am       Economic cooperation does not serve the agenda of the terrorists. Terrorists want Palestinians to continue living in abject poverty so that they can go on blaming Israel for Palestinian misery. Unemployed Palestinians are much easier to target for recruitment as terrorists than Palestinians who are able to feed their families. Many Saudis who are furious with the Palestinian threats and smear campaign against their country for its alleged rapprochement with Israel have responded through social media platforms by strongly condemning the Palestinians. Saudi pundits are now believed to be behind a trending hashtag on Twitter, entitled, "#The_Palestinian_cause_is_not_my_cause." The Palestinian smear campaign is taking place amid silence from the international community and media. They seem indifferent to a rather crucial question: if a Palestinian or Muslim cannot share a meal with an Israeli or watch a TV drama about the life of Jews in Arab countries without being labelled a criminal, how would any Palestinian leader dare to sign a peace agreement with Israel? Last week, several Palestinians were invited by Jewish settler leaders to a Ramadan iftar meal. Scenes of Muslims and Jews eating together are a fine example of coexistence and peace -- heart-warming events that promote tolerance and lay the foundations for real peace between Israelis and Palestinians. But instead of welcoming the iftar meal, many Palestinians are expressing outrage and condemning it as a treacherous act. (Illustrative image of an iftar meal by iStock) It is no secret that many Palestinians are opposed to any form of normalization with Israel. For the past several years, these Palestinians have been waging smear campaigns against any Palestinians and Arabs who have allegedly engaged in normalization activities with Israel, particularly meetings between the two sides. It appears, however, that the bar has just been lowered. Recently, eating with an Israeli or even watching a television series that sheds a positive light on Jews has come to constitute the despised "normalization" and is considered a crime and an act of treason. Last week, several Palestinians were invited by Jewish settler leaders to a Ramadan iftar meal, with which Muslims end their daily fast at sunset during the holy month of Ramadan. Continue Reading Article