Fatah Facebook post honors murderer of 24 in 1972 terror attack in airport

Image and text posted on the official Fatah Facebook page

Posted text: “Who is Kozo Okamoto (i.e., Japanese Red Army terrorist, participated in murder of 24 in Israeli airport)?
1. A Japanese fighter who carried out an operation (i.e., terror attack) against the Zionists in Palestine (i.e., at Lod Airport in Israel).
2. He converted to Islam at age 24 and participated in the Lod Airport operation in 1972, in which 26 Zionists were killed (sic., 24 were murdered, 8 Israelis and 16 foreign tourists). He was taken captive (sic., arrested) after his ammunition ran out.
3. He was sentenced to death, which was reduced to life following pressures from Japan (sic., Okamoto was never given a death sentence; there is no evidence Japan intervened in the decision).
4. He was released in 1985 (i.e., in the Jibril Exchange).
They asked him why he left Japan in order to fight for Palestine, and he answered: ‘I am a Muslim, and Palestine is the land of all the Muslims. I will redeem it with my blood.’”

The image includes pictures that – moving counter-clockwise from the bottom right – show terrorist Kozo Okamoto under arrest, after his release, and being celebrated as an older man. The image contains 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 image: “The Palestinian National Liberation Movement – Fatah
Mobilization and Organization Commission
Information Office
Japanese rebel Kozo Okamoto”

Lod Airport attack – on May 30, 1972, Takeshi Okudaira, Yasuyuki Yasuda and Kozo Okamoto – members of the Japanese Red Army who had been recruited by the Palestinian terror organization Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) – carried out a terror attack at Israel’s Lod (Tel Aviv) airport. Throwing hand grenades and shooting, the terrorists murdered 24 (8 Israelis and 16 foreign tourists), and wounded over 70. Okudaira and Yasuda were killed during the attack, while Okamoto was arrested and sentenced to 3 life sentences, but was released in the Jibril Exchange in May 1985, after only 13 years of imprisonment, when Israel agreed to release 1,150 Palestinian prisoners, including terrorist murderers, in exchange for three Israeli soldiers who had been taken hostage by the terrorist organization the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command (PFLP - GC).