“They will not take me captive or prisoner, or expel me, but [I will go] as a martyr, martyr, martyr. O Allah, give me martyrdom.” So said Yasser Arafat in an interview in 2002, and many other times.

While the last week has witnessed much talk over Yasser Arafat’s legacy, clearly he will be remembered for introducing both suicide bombers and child martyrs as political tools. Arafat was able to do so by creating a culture of incitement, explicitly calling on Palestinian Arab children to become martyrs through indoctrination in textbooks, sermons, and the press, all under his control.

There have been more than 30 suicide bombers younger than 18-yearsold, some sent by Arafat’s Fatah Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, and numerous children younger than 13 who have been apprehended during suicide attack missions. The most recent child suicide bomber was a 16-year-old who killed three in Tel Aviv on November 1.

Since Arafat entered the West Bank and Gaza in 1994,he often spoke directly to Palestinian Arab children, calling them his “lion cubs” and “flowers” and telling them to become martyrs. An example of Arafat’s incitement of children includes the speech he gave to a group of children that aired on Palestinian Authority TV to mark the International Day of the Child on July 1, 2003: “Oh my dears, oh lion cubs of Palestine, oh, flowers of Palestine, oh, future of Palestine, oh power and splendor of Palestine. …One Shahid from those [fighting for Jerusalem] is equal in value to 40 Shahids…This is the privilege Allah has given to you, oh boys and girls of Palestine…”

During a speech about the importance of child martyrs on December 18, 2001, which was reported by WAFA, Arafat stated: “Do you know what a mother of a martyr does when she is informed of the martyrdom of her son? She goes out to the street with cheers of joy, saying: ‘Allah be praised, my son, that you married Palestine rather than your cousin.’ This is the Palestinian people.”

Pointing to a young girl, Arafat stated, “This little cutie is the first of our soldiers…One of our cubs or one of our flowers will wave the flag of Palestine, Allah willing, over the walls of Jerusalem, its churches and its mosques, whether someone likes it or not, and whomever does not like it can drink the water of the Dead Sea…[Islamic tradition states that] ‘One martyr of these is worth seventy’ [on any other front of jihad]…”

In a performance by Palestinian Arab schoolgirls for Arafat on May 19, 1997, a young girl sang to Arafat: “I finished practicing on the submachine gun of Return, and I trained my friends from among the children and the youth, and we swore to take vengeful blood from our enemies…”

More recently, Palestinian Authority TV aired a special program on October 10, 2003, of an Arafat speech from the muqata to Palestinian Arab children attending summer camps: “Here it is. Here it is, the Shabiba [youth] of Fatah. With soul and blood we will redeem you, oh Palestine. Millions of martyrs marching to Jerusalem…’ “

Arafat’s position regarding inciting Palestinian Arab children to become suicide bombers was accepted within Palestinian Arab culture because he always stated that he, too, wanted martyrdom. One example is a speech aired on Al Jazeera on March 29,2002, following the Palestinian attack on a Passover seder, which killed 30 people: “We ask Allah to grant us martyrdom, to grant us martyrdom. To Jerusalem we march, martyrs by the millions.” Arafat added: “[If] they decided to take me as a prisoner, a deportee, or to kill me – no. I say to them [that I will be] a martyr, a martyr, a martyr…One of their martyrs [who falls in the battle for Jerusalem] is worth 40 martyrs. …Allah, give me martyrdom. …This is the path I have chosen…”

In an interview shown on Egyptian TV and PA TV that day, Arafat explained: “We are all seekers of martyrdom. …As I told you: To Jerusalem we march, martyrs by the millions. …Man, don’t wish me safety! Pray for me to attain martyrdom! Is there anything better than being martyred on this holy land? We are all seekers of martyrdom…”

In an interview with the Arabic-language daily Al-Hayat on October 11, 2002, Arafat was asked if he was worried about being expelled by Israel. He answered: “…Have you forgotten my motto? They will not take me captive or prisoner, or expel [me], but as a martyr, martyr, martyr. O Allah, give me martyrdom.”

Despite the fact that Arafat didn’t martyr himself as he had promised, his message for Palestinian Arab children to become martyrs will most likely live on as an inspiration for future generations.

Mr. Stalinsky is the executive director of The Middle East Media Research Institute.