Op-ed in PA daily glorifies "Martyrs," condemns Israel for demanding monument to terrorist be taken down
Headline: “The Martyr Nazzal monument remains”
Excerpt of an op-ed by Omar Hilmi Al-Ghoul, regular columnist for the official PA daily
“The Palestinian Martyrs (Shahids) from all ends of the Palestinian political spectrum are lauded symbols in the pages [of the history] of our national struggle, and they are nobler, more honored, and more distinguished than all of us…
At the height of the heated conflict between the [Palestinian] national narrative and the false Zionist narrative that contradicts history and geography, the extremist Zionist leadership of Israel is attempting to ‘dissolve’ the national narrative by persecuting its symbols…
One of the new examples of the persecution of the living (i.e., eternal) Martyrs as part of Israeli policy is the government of [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s threat to invade Jenin if the [Jenin] Municipality and [Jenin] District refuse to remove the Martyr (Shahid) Khaled Nazzal monument (i.e., terrorist, responsible for murder of 31), a member of the Democratic Front [for the Liberation of Palestine] central committee who was killed by the Mossad (i.e., Israeli Secret Intelligence Service) in June 1986 in Athens. It would appear that there are those who almost submitted to the Israeli extortion, on the pretext of profit-loss considerations.
Yes, the extremist right-wing government can invade Jenin and all of the Palestinian cities, but it must not invade the national narrative, and it must not harm the status of any Martyr from among the Martyrs of the Palestinian Arab people. Israel and the US must not extort any Palestinian so that he renounces those who have written the pages [in history] of the people’s praise and the [Palestinian] cause.
The Martyr Nazzal monument, which was restored by members of the Jenin branch of the Fatah Movement, reflects the conscious and responsible national will, which understands the severity of the structural flaw in the outlook of those who almost damaged the Palestinian narrative (i.e., who temporarily removed the monument due to Israeli pressure). [Those people] did not grasp the dangerous consequences of their wretched step when they acceded to Israel’s will and [the will] of those who act like Israelis, because they are short-sighted and did not see beyond their noses. Therefore, well done fighters of Fatah and the national activity factions, who mobilized to defend the heroic Martyr Khaled Nazzal monument…
Martyr Nazzal was a national figure of stature who led in defending the people. Due to the importance of his role in the struggle, the Mossad assassinated him in Athens. It is the obligation of all the sons of Palestine in the interior (i.e., the PA areas), in the Interior of the interior (i.e., Palestinian term for Israel), and in the diaspora to highlight his role and status, as is befitting the Martyr leaders, and not to give up the monument, which was established to glorify his life of struggle – regardless of Israel’s threats. [Israel] will not stop with the removal of the Martyr Khaled monument, but rather will continue to extort us regarding our identity, our names, our birthdates, and the livelihood of our prisoners and their relatives. Every time that we retreat before it in the name of the superficial argument of flexibility and cutting corners, it will persecute us until we turn into slaves of its colonialist narrative’s will and logic. Therefore, regardless of the threats, we must not renounce any Martyr from among the Martyrs of the [Palestinian] people or any prisoner from among its prisoners.”
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Khaled Nazzal – Secretary of the Central Committee of the Democratic Front for Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), and commander of its military branch. He was responsible for terrorists taking school children as hostages and murdering 22 children and 4 adults in Ma’alot (May 15, 1974), the murder of 4 hostages in an apartment building in Beit Shean (Nov. 11, 1974), and a shooting and grenade attack in central Jerusalem in which 1 was murdered and 47 others were wounded (April 2, 1984).
Excerpt of an op-ed by Omar Hilmi Al-Ghoul, regular columnist for the official PA daily
“The Palestinian Martyrs (Shahids) from all ends of the Palestinian political spectrum are lauded symbols in the pages [of the history] of our national struggle, and they are nobler, more honored, and more distinguished than all of us…
At the height of the heated conflict between the [Palestinian] national narrative and the false Zionist narrative that contradicts history and geography, the extremist Zionist leadership of Israel is attempting to ‘dissolve’ the national narrative by persecuting its symbols…
One of the new examples of the persecution of the living (i.e., eternal) Martyrs as part of Israeli policy is the government of [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s threat to invade Jenin if the [Jenin] Municipality and [Jenin] District refuse to remove the Martyr (Shahid) Khaled Nazzal monument (i.e., terrorist, responsible for murder of 31), a member of the Democratic Front [for the Liberation of Palestine] central committee who was killed by the Mossad (i.e., Israeli Secret Intelligence Service) in June 1986 in Athens. It would appear that there are those who almost submitted to the Israeli extortion, on the pretext of profit-loss considerations.
Yes, the extremist right-wing government can invade Jenin and all of the Palestinian cities, but it must not invade the national narrative, and it must not harm the status of any Martyr from among the Martyrs of the Palestinian Arab people. Israel and the US must not extort any Palestinian so that he renounces those who have written the pages [in history] of the people’s praise and the [Palestinian] cause.
The Martyr Nazzal monument, which was restored by members of the Jenin branch of the Fatah Movement, reflects the conscious and responsible national will, which understands the severity of the structural flaw in the outlook of those who almost damaged the Palestinian narrative (i.e., who temporarily removed the monument due to Israeli pressure). [Those people] did not grasp the dangerous consequences of their wretched step when they acceded to Israel’s will and [the will] of those who act like Israelis, because they are short-sighted and did not see beyond their noses. Therefore, well done fighters of Fatah and the national activity factions, who mobilized to defend the heroic Martyr Khaled Nazzal monument…
Martyr Nazzal was a national figure of stature who led in defending the people. Due to the importance of his role in the struggle, the Mossad assassinated him in Athens. It is the obligation of all the sons of Palestine in the interior (i.e., the PA areas), in the Interior of the interior (i.e., Palestinian term for Israel), and in the diaspora to highlight his role and status, as is befitting the Martyr leaders, and not to give up the monument, which was established to glorify his life of struggle – regardless of Israel’s threats. [Israel] will not stop with the removal of the Martyr Khaled monument, but rather will continue to extort us regarding our identity, our names, our birthdates, and the livelihood of our prisoners and their relatives. Every time that we retreat before it in the name of the superficial argument of flexibility and cutting corners, it will persecute us until we turn into slaves of its colonialist narrative’s will and logic. Therefore, regardless of the threats, we must not renounce any Martyr from among the Martyrs of the [Palestinian] people or any prisoner from among its prisoners.”
Click to view bulletin
Khaled Nazzal – Secretary of the Central Committee of the Democratic Front for Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), and commander of its military branch. He was responsible for terrorists taking school children as hostages and murdering 22 children and 4 adults in Ma’alot (May 15, 1974), the murder of 4 hostages in an apartment building in Beit Shean (Nov. 11, 1974), and a shooting and grenade attack in central Jerusalem in which 1 was murdered and 47 others were wounded (April 2, 1984).
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