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Mahmoud Abbas' duplicity

Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik  |
Mahmoud Abbas' duplicity
To Israeli students, Abbas talks peace
To Palestinians, Abbas glorifies murderers of Israeli students

 

Abbas to Israeli university students:
"Everything we are doing these days is for the young generation in Israel and Palestine, it's for their future. The younger generation of Palestinians is similar to the Israeli one in that it wants peace."
[Ynet, Feb. 16, 2014]

Abbas to Palestinians about killing Israeli students:

Abbas praises murderer of 2 Israeli university students:
"Heroic brother"
[Official PA TV, Oct. 29, 2013]

PA praises murderer of 4 religious studies students:
"[He] wrote the most wonderful and sublime words of sacrifice with his blood"
[Official PA TV News reporter, Official PA TV, Feb. 10, 2014]

Fatah praises murderer of 3 high school students:
"[He] saturated the soil... with his blood in his heroic operation"
[Fatah praise of killer on casket, Al-Fajer TV, Feb. 11, 2014]

by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

According to PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, are Israeli students peace partners or are murderers of Israeli students heroes? The answer, it seems, depends on who Abbas is talking to.

Although Abbas told Israeli students yesterday that he wants to live with them in peace - he himself, the PA, and the Fatah movement, both of which he heads, have been telling the Palestinian population that murdering Israeli students is glorious and heroic.

Last week, Israel released the bodies of two Palestinian terrorists to the PA. One, Habash Hanani, murdered three high school students and the other, Ahmad Al-Faqih, participated in murdering four religious studies students. Both murderers were given official military funerals and both were called heroes by the PA and Fatah.

A poster from Abbas' Fatah movement was placed on the casket of murderer Habash Hanani, praising his killing of three high school students as a "heroic operation," during which he "saturated the soil... with his blood":

"The Palestinian National Liberation Movement - Fatah... escorts its Martyr Commander Habash Al-Saud Hanani to the Dark-eyed Maidens (i.e., virgins), [Hanani] who saturated the soil of Beit Furik with his blood in his heroic operation (i.e., killing 3 high school students) on the soil of the Itamar settlement."
 

[Official PA TV, Feb. 11, 2014]

Habash Hanani was a terrorist in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades (Fatah's military wing). He shot and murdered three high school students and wounded two others in a yeshiva (a religious studies academy) in the town of Itamar on May 28, 2002.

At Hanani's funeral, a PA official, District Governor of Nablus Jibrin Al-Bakri, glorified him as a hero:

"These are heroes and they defend their cause, and they have a special place in the heart of the Palestinian people. Therefore they are honored as heroes should be honored."
[Al-Quds TV, Feb. 12, 2014]

Click to view

Abbas' TV, official PA TV's news program, honored murderer Ahmad Al-Faqih as a "Martyr" and praised his "sacrifice":

"After a 12-year separation, the city of Dura now embraces the remains of its Martyr, who wrote the most wonderful and sublime words of sacrifice with his blood."
[Official PA TV, Feb. 10, 2014]

Click to view

Ahmad Al-Faqih belonged to the Islamic Jihad terrorist group. Together with another terrorist, he infiltrated the religious studies academy the Otniel Yeshiva and murdered 4 students on Dec. 27, 2002.

Also last week, a wreath from Abbas himself was put on the casket of suicide bomber Jalal Mahamid:

"Thousands of Palestinian citizens escorted Martyr Jalal Mahamid after his remains were received from the occupation forces (i.e., Israel) in an impressive military funeral... A wreath was laid on the Martyr's grave on behalf of President Mahmoud Abbas."
Writing on wreath: "President of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen"
[Ma'an, independent Palestinian news agency, Feb. 5, 2014]
 
[Ma'an, independent Palestinian news agency, Feb. 5, 2014]

Jalal Mahamid planned a double suicide attack in Israel with another terrorist on Feb. 8, 2002. After entering Israel, their car detonated early and both were killed without injuring others. Israel gave Mahamid's body to the PA on Feb. 4, 2014.

Abbas recently honored the murderer of two university students, who was among the group of 26 terrorists who were released from prison last October:

"We welcome our heroic brothers (among them Issa Abd Rabbo, murderer of two Israeli university students)] who come from behind bars to the world of freedom."
[Official PA TV, Oct. 29, 2013]

[Abbas greets killer of students, Official PA TV Live, Oct. 29, 2013]

At the celebration, Abbas held up murderer Abd Rabbo's hand in front of the cheering crowd. Abd Rabbo made the sign of victory.

Click to see examples of the PA and Fatah's glorification of terrorists and murderers.

The following are longer excerpts of the reports on the funerals:

Official PA TV News report on the funeral of terrorist Ahmad Al-Faqih:
Ahmad Al-Faqih's mother: "We are escorting Ahmad today as a bridegroom." ...
PA TV reporter: "Here, in front of the Martyrs (Shahids) of Dura Cultural Center, the funeral procession turned into a national wedding, in which many spoke of the need to increase both official and popular efforts to put an end to what are known as 'the numbered cemeteries' (i.e., Israeli cemeteries for terrorists and enemy soldiers)." ...
Man at the funeral: "After 12 years in which the body of hero Martyr Ahmad Al-Faqih was held [by Israel], Dura and the Hebron Municipality are proving to everyone that the Martyrs are more honorable than all of us." ...
PA TV reporter: "After a 12-year separation, the city of Dura now embraces the remains of its Martyr, who wrote the most wonderful and sublime words of sacrifice with his blood."
[Official PA TV, Feb. 10, 2014]

Ahmad Al-Faqih belonged to the Islamic Jihad terrorist group. He and another terrorist infiltrated the Otniel Yeshiva (religious studies academy) and murdered 4 students on Dec. 27, 2002. Al-Faqih was killed during a fire exchange with the Israeli army force that was dispatched to respond the terrorist attack.

The Cemeteries for Enemy Casualties are two burial sites maintained by the Israeli army for burying bodies of enemy soldiers as well as terrorists. They are fenced and well-marked. Graves have markers instead of gravestones. Burial is temporary, on the assumption that the bodies will eventually be returned to their countries of origin. No ceremony is held. The bodies are buried in numbered caskets, after their identities have been documented.

Collection of TV items about the official PA and Fatah funeral given terrorist Habash Al-Saud Hanani, whose remains were returned by Israel to the PA:

The PA honored terrorist Habash Al-Saud Hanani with a military funeral when his body was received from Israel. Deputy District Governor of Tulkarem Jamal Sa'id laid a wreath on the casket on behalf of Tulkarem's District Governor.
[Official PA TV, Feb. 11, 2014]

Writing on wreath: "Dedicated by the District Governor of Tulkarem Dr. Abdallah Kamil to the soul of the heroic Martyr (Shahid) Habash Al-Saud Hanani."
[Al-Fajer TV (local independent Palestinian station), Feb. 11, 2014]

Poster on the casket: "The Palestinian National Liberation Movement - Fatah... escorts its Martyr Commander, Habash Al-Saud Hanani to the Dark-eyed Maidens (virgins), [Hanani] who saturated the soil of Beit Furik with his blood in his heroic operation (i.e., killing 3 high school students) on the soil of the Itamar settlement."
[Official PA TV, Feb. 11, 2014]

District Governor of Nablus Jibrin Al-Bakri spoke at the funeral: "These are heroes and they defend their cause, and they have a special place in the heart of the Palestinian people. Therefore they are honored as heroes should be honored. "
[Al-Quds TV, Feb. 12, 2014]
 
Habash Hanani was a terrorist in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades (Fatah's military wing), which has been declared a terrorist group by Israel, the US, Canada, the EU, and Japan. Hanani shot and murdered three students in an attack on a high school in the town of Itamar on May 28, 2002. Israel transferred the terrorist's body to the PA on Feb. 11, 2014.

Headline: "Jenin escorts Martyr (Shahid) Jalal Mahamid to burial"
"Thousands of Palestinian citizens escorted Martyr Jalal Mahamid after his remains were received from the occupation forces (i.e., Israel) in an impressive military funeral...
A wreath was laid on the Martyr's grave on behalf of President Mahmoud Abbas."
Writing on wreath: "President of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen"
[Ma'an, independent Palestinian news agency, Feb. 5, 2014]

Jalal Mahamid planned a double suicide attack in Israel with another terrorist on Feb. 8, 2002. They entered Israel, but their car exploded early and both were killed without harming anyone else. Israel gave Mahamid's body to the PA on Feb. 4, 2014.

The Israeli news service Ynet reported Abbas as saying the following to Israeli students at the meeting on Feb. 16, 2014:

"Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has told some 300 young Israelis visiting him on Sunday in the West Bank that he does not want to 'drown Israel with millions of (Palestinian) refugees to change its nature.'

Abbas' comment was his most conciliatory yet on the fate of Palestinian refugees who were uprooted from homes in what is now Israel, including in the 1948 War of Independence that followed Israel's creation.

'The propaganda purports that I want five million refugees to return. This is false and will not happen. We need to solve the refugee problem, but we do not want to drown Israel with refugees,' Abbas said, adding that there needs to be a 'moral solution' the refugee issue.

'There is no escape from a just solution that both sides can agree on. No one will force a solution on the other,' he said. Abbas told his Israeli visitors he seeks a 'creative solution' for refugees, suggesting he is not demanding a blanket 'right of return.'

Today, the refugees and their descendants number about five million people. In Israel, there is broad consensus against accepting a large-scale resettling of these refugees in any future peace deal with the Palestinians, amid fears the returnees would dilute Israel's Jewish majority.

'What do you want from us?'

'I am happy for this meeting. It should have happened a long time ago,' Abbas said of the beginning of the meeting. 'I want to meet the young generation in Israel. Everything we are doing these days is for the young generation in Israel and Palestine, it's for their future. The younger generation of Palestinians is similar to the Israeli one in that it wants peace.'

After blasting settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Abbas commented on the Israel demand that Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

'What do you want from us? You made peace with Jordan and Egypt and didn't demand such recognition. If you want recognition of Israel as Jewish state you can go to the UN and ask for it.'

'Incitement exists'

Regarding the claim that the Palestinian education system incites against Israel - a claim recently made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - Abbas said "(In Israel) they write that Palestinian education materials and television is full of incitement.

'This is true, there is incitement. But we agreed years ago to form a committee of Israelis, Palestinians and Americans which will examine both Palestinian and Israeli incitement and put an end to it. I don't want to point fingers - we have been saying (this) for years... and unfortunately there is no response from the Israeli side.'

In regards to accusations of Holocaust denial, Abbas said 'I acknowledge the Holocaust and the fact that millions were killed.'"
[Ynet, Feb. 16, 2014,
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4488921,00.html]
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