“Greetings and love” to “heroic” murderer of soldier from PA TV host; Son of murderer: “I love to talk about his acts of heroism, he is a symbol and a hero”

Official PA TV program Giants of Endurance, on a visit to the home of terrorist prisoner Issa Darabi – who murdered Israeli soldier Shai Cohen – in Emresh, southwest of Hebron

Visual: As a song praising the Palestinian terrorist prisoners is played in the background, various posters of terrorist prisoner Issa Darabi – who murdered Israeli soldier Shai Cohen – are shown on screen.


The poster shows Darabi on the left and various prisoners from the town of Dura on the right.
Text on the left of the poster: “The Palestinian [PA-funded] Prisoners’ Club and the [PLO] Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs; Verdict: Life sentence; Most senior of the prisoners of the south, heroic prisoner Issa Salem Darabi

Poster of terrorist Darabi, and the Dome of the Rock in the background.

Text on poster: “Most senior of the prisoners of the south
Heroic prisoner Issa Salem Darabi
Verdict: Life sentence”

Poster of Darabi at the entrance to his family’s home.

Text on poster: “The Palestinian National Liberation Movement – Fatah, southern [Hebron] branch, southern Dura organizational region
Prisoner commander [Issa Salem] Darabi
Commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades (i.e., Fatah’s military wing)”

Official PA TV host: "We are currently with the family of the heroic prisoner, ‘the Falcon of the South’ Issa Darabi, who is serving a life sentence. Issa Darabi, who has begun his 17th year in the occupation’s prison – we send you the best greetings and love..."

Prisoners’ Club Director in the Hebron District Amjad Al-Najjar: "I met this fighter, this Fatah giant, 26 years ago... This man decided to relinquish all of the privileges... Issa joined the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades and was a role model. The operations (i.e., terror attacks) that he carried out were high quality operations. His stature is indeed as great as that of the homeland..."

Visual:
Images are shown from the event marking the start of Darabi’s 17th year in prison.

A poster from the event shows Darabi on the left and former PLO and PA Chairman Yasser Arafat on the right. At the top appears the Palestinian flag.
Text on poster: “The Emresh - Abdat Al-Alqatein Village Council hopes for the quick release of the most senior of the prisoners of the south, prisoner commander [Issa] Salem Darabi, and the brave ones in the occupation’s prisons”

Another poster from the event shows Darabi on the left, and on the right are Arafat and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas below him. In the upper left and right corners appears the Fatah logo that includes a grenade, crossed rifles, and the PA map of “Palestine” that presents all of Israel as “Palestine” together with the PA areas.

Text on poster: “The [ Palestinian] National Liberation Movement Fatah, southern [Hebron] branch, southern Dura organizational region, hopes for the quick release of the most senior of the prisoners of the south, prisoner commander Issa Salem Darabi Abu Al-Mu’tasim, and of all of our brave prisoners in the occupation’s prisons”

Official PA TV host: "As the son of a prisoner, when you go to school and everyone knows that this young man is the son of ‘‘the Falcon of the South’’ Issa Darabi, what does that mean to you?"
Son of terrorist Issa Darabi: "It means everything to me. My father isn’t like other fathers. He is in a special situation, a prisoner. He did something I boast about and take pride in among my friends. I love to talk about him and his acts of heroism, because he is a symbol and a hero."
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Issa Darabi – Palestinian terrorist who was a member of PA Presidential Security Force 17 and former bodyguard of Yasser Arafat. On July 9, 2001, Darabi detonated an explosive targeting an Israeli army jeep in the south Hebron region and murdered Israeli soldier Shai Cohen. Darabi also placed an explosive on a road targeting the Israeli Army Chief of Staff’s convoy in November 2001. Darabi is serving a life sentence.