PA official implicitly endorses yesterday’s terror attack in which 2 Israelis were murdered
PA official implicitly endorses yesterday’s terror attack
in which 2 Israelis were murdered
- Disregarding the loss of Israeli lives, Fatah and Hamas turned murder of 2 Israelis into internal politics
- Spokesman of the PA Security Forces adamantly denies having condemned attack, Hamas claims he called the attack "a crime"
by Nan Jacques Zilberdik and Maurice Hirsch, Adv.
With an unsurprising disregard for the lives of Israelis, the PA/Fatah and Hamas have turned yesterday’s terror attack in which a Palestinian terrorist shot and murdered 2 Israelis, including a father of 12, into an issue of their internal politics.
In an attempt to present the PA and Fatah as soft and opposing terror attacks against Israel, Palestine Now, a pro-Hamas website, claimed that the spokesman of the PA Security Forces Adnan Al-Damiri had stated the terror attack was “a crime”:“The Palestinian resistance factions welcomed the operation, described it as ‘heroic,’ and called to escalate the confrontation with the Israeli occupation, while Official Spokesman of the PA Security Forces in the occupied West Bank Adnan Al-Damiri described the operation as ‘criminal’.”
[Palestine Now, independent Palestinian news website, March 17, 2019]
In turn, Al-Damiri denied having made a statement about the attack and strongly emphasized that he had not said "the lies and falsehoods that were attributed to him." This statement, and the fact that he didn’t use the opportunity to actually condemn the murderous attack, constituted an implicit endorsement of it:“Official Spokesman of the [PA] Security Forces... Adnan Al-Damiri denied that he gave any statement regarding the operation that was carried out today [March 17, 2019] in the Salfit district. He said that there is no basis to the statements that one of the media outlets that is subordinate to Hamas attributed to him.
In a statement that [the official PA news agency] WAFA received a copy of today, Al-Damiri said that the lies and falsehoods that were attributed to him are an attempt to distract from the Hamas Movement’s actions against the citizens in the Gaza districts, in light of the peaceful We Want to Live protest.”
[Ma’an, independent Palestinian news agency, March 17, 2019]
The Fatah Movement also used the attack as a hand in the game of politics, highlighting the terrorist’s support for PA and Fatah Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Like PA official Al-Damiri, Fatah did not condemn the terrorist and his murderous attack either:
Posted text: “Salfit districtThe occupation army publishes the identity of the one who carried out the operation in Ariel:
Omar Abu Laila, 19, from the town of Al-Zawiya in western Salfit.
[The following is] what Omar Abu Laila from the town of Al-Zawiya - whom Israel accuses of carrying out the operation in Salfit - published on his Facebook page.”
Text in shared post by terrorist Omar Abu Laila: “Your head is held high,
Our [PA] President [Mahmoud] Abbas, we have sworn allegiance to you before Allah and before all of the people.”
[Official Fatah Facebook page, March 17, 2019]
The following are longer excerpts of the reports quoted above:
Headline: “Al-Damiri denies the quotes that media outlets subordinate to Hamas attributed to him”
“Official Spokesman of the [PA] Security Forces and General Political Commissioner [of the PLO Political and National Guidance Authority] Adnan Al-Damiri denied that he gave any statement regarding the operation (i.e., terror attack committed by terrorist Omar Abu Laila, 2 murdered; see note below) that was carried out today [March 17, 2019] in the Salfit district. He said that there is no basis to the statements that one of the media outlets that is subordinate to Hamas attributed to him.
In a statement that [the official PA news agency] WAFA received a copy of today, (Saturday) (sic., Sunday), Al-Damiri said that the lies and falsehoods that were attributed to him are an attempt to distract from the Hamas Movement’s actions against the citizens in the Gaza districts, in light of the peaceful We Want to Live protest.”
[Ma’an, independent Palestinian news agency, March 17, 2019]
Omar Abu Laila - Palestinian terrorist who stabbed Israeli soldier Gal Keidan, stole his weapon, and shot and murdered him at Ariel Junction on March 17, 2019. Abu Laila then shot at passersby killing Rabbi Achiad Ettinger, and stole the car of a civilian who had fled the scene, which he drove to Gitai Avishar Junction, west of Ariel, where he shot and seriously wounded another Israeli. The terrorist has not been caught as of March 18, 2019.Adnan Al-Damiri also holds the position of General Political Commissioner of the PLO Political and National Guidance Authority.
Headline: “Pictures: Residents of Gaza distribute sweets out of joy over the Salfit operation”“Young people distributed sweets this morning (Sunday) [March 17, 2019] in the streets in various areas of the Gaza Strip, out of joy over the operation (i.e., terror attack) in which 2 (sic., 1 at the time this was published) Israelis were killed and two others were wounded (attack committed by terrorist Omar Abu Laila; see note below -Ed.).
From the early morning hours and after the operation was carried out, the mosques of Gaza broke out into calls of Allahu Akbar (i.e., “Allah is greatest”) 
and ‘There is no God other than Allah.’ Young people distributed sweets in the streets to citizens who expressed their great joy over the operation, particularly in light of the fact that it took place after the latest Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip (refers to Israeli retaliatory airstrikes after terrorists in Gaza fired two rockets at Tel Aviv on March 14, 2019 -Ed.).
and ‘There is no God other than Allah.’ Young people distributed sweets in the streets to citizens who expressed their great joy over the operation, particularly in light of the fact that it took place after the latest Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip (refers to Israeli retaliatory airstrikes after terrorists in Gaza fired two rockets at Tel Aviv on March 14, 2019 -Ed.).The Palestinian resistance factions welcomed the operation, described it as ‘heroic,’ and called to escalate the confrontation with the Israeli occupation, while Official
Spokesman of the PA Security Forces in the occupied West Bank Adnan Al-Damiri described the operation as ‘criminal’ (Al-Damiri denied the rumors that he had done so -Ed.).”
[Palestine Now, independent Palestinian news website, March 17, 2019]
The article includes pictures of sweets being distributed in the streets of Gaza. In one of the pictures, a plate of sweets is presented with a sign held above it.Text on sign: “Hamas welcomes the heroic operation in Salfit”