Mickey Mouse, the Hamas version

By now, you may have seen a clip of this disgusting show that had been running on Hamas' al-Aqsa television channel. The program features a Mickey Mouse-like character in dialogue with Saraa, a young girl; together, they school young viewers in the ways of the jihad.

The show, named "Tomorrow's Pioneers," has been pulled at the behest of the Palestinian Authority—following an international outcry. Granted, Saraa and the mouse are speaking in a stilted Modern Standard Arabic rather than the dialect spoken by Palestinian Arabs, and as Der Spiegel notes, it's boring and preachy. But whatever its real-world impact, it's not the kind of thing permitted to air in a healthy society.

"Tomorrow's Pioneers" dramatically illustrates why Hikayet Simsim, the Palestinian version of Sesame Street that launched recently, is so necessary. It's extremely disquieting to realize, however, that Hamas Mickey is what Palestinian society produced on its own, whereas Hikayat Simsim was made possible only through heavy Western funding and involvement.