PA Ministry of Education named sports festival
after terrorist murderer Dalal Mughrabi who led killing of 37
Girls wore shirts with image of terrorist
By Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik
One of the days marked fervently by the Palestinian Authority is the anniversary in March of the most lethal terror attack against Israel - the Coastal Road massacre in which Palestinian terrorists murdered 37 civilians, among them 12 children. The attack was led by female terrorist Dalal Mughrabi who
the PA since has turned into a role model and hero for Palestinian children and society in general.
To celebrate the anniversary this year, the PA Ministry of Education arranged a sports festival for girls named after the terrorist:
"The Dalal Mughrabi Sports Festival"
The sports festival was held at the Beitunia Upper Elementary School for Girls and participating girls wore shirts featuring the image of the murderer and the text "Dalal Mughrabi Festival":
[Facebook page of the Beitunia Upper Elementary School for Girls, March 13, 2019]
PA officials were also present at the festival honoring murderer Mughrabi, among them Bassem Erekat, director of the district's Education Directorate , which is a branch of the PA Ministry of Education, and Ribhi Dawla, mayor of Beitunia, where the festival was held. In addition, the District Governor of Ramallah and El-Bireh Dr. Laila Ghannam spoke at the event, stating that Palestinian children "are determined to continue on the path." Ghannam also praised Palestinian women for having "brought children into the world, fought, and built glory that will not be erased" - indicating that murderer Mughrabi had created lasting "glory" with her attack killing 37:
Text on sign at the festival:
"Dalal Mughrabi Sports Festival
Under the auspices of the Directorate of Education and Higher Education
Ramallah and El-Bireh District
And in cooperation between the Beitunia Upper Elementary School for Girls and the Freedom Co-ed Elementary School"
Posted text: "During her participation inthe Dalal Mughrabi Festival, held at the Beitunia Elementary School for Girls in the presence of the director of the district's Education Directorate (i.e., branch of the PA Ministry of Education) and the mayor of Beitunia, [District Governor of Ramallah and El-Bireh] Dr. Laila Ghannam emphasized that our children, who are suffering from the occupation's brutality, are determined to continue on the path with the same certain steps, towards the realization of the national rights. She explained that it is the right of these generations to live in freedom and dignity on their land, far from the occupation and its tyranny. On the occasion of [International] Women's Day, Ghannam blessed all the women of Palestine - who have brought children into the world, fought, and built glory that will not be erased."
[Fatah Facebook page of District Governor of Ramallah and El-Bireh Laila Ghannam, March 13, 2019]
"[Rashida] Mughrabi explained that [the monument at] Martyr Dalal Mughrabi Square has been shattered more than once, and that anonymous young people are the ones who did it. She added that the restoration has been undertaken in a personal-family effort."
[Al-Hadath, independent Palestinian weekly paper, March 11, 2019]
"Mughrabi said: 'The district, the [Fatah] branch, and the relevant institutions could have clarified who shattered [the monument], because there are cameras... but despite the district's promises to investigate the matter, until now this anonymous party has not been exposed... During meetings of the Fatah Movement it has been promised to restore [the monument], and contact about the matter was made with Fatah Central Committee member Jamal Muhaisen.'
She noted that the monument and square were restored a few days ago, and that they have worked diligently on inaugurating the square at the time of the anniversary of Dalal's death as a Martyr. She also said that the effort was made through the Fatah Revolutionary Council and [Fatah's] Ramallah branch."
[Al-Hadath, independent Palestinian weekly paper, March 11, 2019]
A planned inauguration was recently postponed due to PA and Fatah officials being too busy, according to the district's Fatah secretary:
"Fatah's Ramallah and El-Bireh District [Branch] Secretary Muwaffaq Sahwil explained that the postponement was done at the request of the leadership because it is busy, and that the inauguration will be held in the coming days. Sahwil explained to Al-Hadath that the postponement is connected to the presence of [public] figures [at the inauguration], and that because they are busy the inauguration has been postponed."
[Al-Hadath, independent Palestinian weekly paper, March 11, 2019]
It seems Fatah has been participating in the restoration of the monument at the square. The poster of murderer Dalal Mughrabi on it displays the following text:
Posted text: "On the anniversary of the coastal operation, which was led by heroine Dalal Mughrabi - the inauguration of Martyr Dalal Mughrabi Square"
Text on sign: "Heroic Martyr Dalal Mughrabi Square
Palestinian National Liberation Movement 'Fatah' - Ramallah and El-Bireh branch"
[Official Fatah Facebook page, March 11, 2019]
Fatah also called murderer Mughrabi "the heroine" in its post about the square:
Posted text: "On the anniversary of the coastal operation, which was led by heroine Dalal Mughrabi - the inauguration of Martyr Dalal Mughrabi Square"
[Official Fatah Facebook page, March 11, 2019]
Coastal Road Massacre
The following are longer excerpts of the reports mentioned above:
Headline: "Who is fighting Martyr Dalal Mughrabi in Ramallah?"
"For eight years the inauguration of Martyr (Shahida) Dalal Mughrabi (i.e., terrorist who led murder of 37, 12 of them children) Square in the Um Al-Sharayet area of Ramallah has been postponed. Despite the establishment of the square and the preparations for all that is befitting of the Martyrs, Rashida Mughrabi - the sister of Martyr Dalal - received a phone call that she described as 'rephrehensible.' In the call it was said that 'The inauguration of the square has been postponed until further notice.'
Mughrabi explained to [independent Palestinian weekly paper] Al-Hadath that at the end of 2009 and beginning of 2010, they began to work on establishing Martyr Dalal Mughrabi Square following an agreement with the El-Bireh Municipality and with the [Ramallah and El-Bireh] district. The preparations for the square ended at the time of the anniversary of Dalal's death as a Martyr, and it was proposed that the inauguration take place on that anniversary, but then she [Rashida Mughrabi] received a call in which it was demanded to postpone the inauguration due to the Israelis' threat to invade the city and destroy the square. However, she insisted and inaugurated [the square] in the presence of a small number of activists in Ramallah.
She added: 'Every year, the family and some young people commemorate the anniversary of [Dalal's] Martyrdom-death and the operation. The anniversary is not commemorated by the official echelon, which is supposed to initiate its commemoration due to Dalal's Palestinian symbolism. Last year [2018] the anniversary was commemorated together with the Yasser Arafat Foundation, the first official and national institution that held a ceremony to commemorate [the anniversary], and this was at the Yasser Arafat Museum.'
Mughrabi explained that [the monument at] Martyr Dalal Mughrabi Square has been shattered more than once, and that anonymous young people are the ones who did it. She added that the restoration has been undertaken in a personal-family effort.
Mughrabi said: 'The district, the [Fatah] branch, and the relevant institutions could have clarified who shattered [the monument], because there are cameras... but despite the district's promises to investigate the matter, until now this anonymous party has not been exposed.'
According to Mughrabi, 'During meetings of the Fatah Movement it has been promised to restore [the monument], and contact about the matter was made with Fatah Central Committee member Jamal Muhaisen.'
She noted that the monument and square were restored a few days ago, and that they have worked diligently on inaugurating the square at the time of the anniversary of Dalal's death as a Martyr. She also said that the effort was made through the Fatah Revolutionary Council and [Fatah's] Ramallah branch.
Mughrabi explained: 'Yesterday, Sunday [March 10, 2019], I called the Revolutionary Council secretary in order to clarify about the distribution of the invitations, and I was surprised to discover that the invitations had not been distributed.' She added that she contacted the organization, which informed her that the inauguration had been postponed because [Fatah's Ramallah and El-Bireh District Branch Secretary] Muwaffaq Sahwil had received an order according to which the inauguration would not be taking place.
Mughrabi emphasized that despite what has happened, she will work for the inauguration of the square together with the patriotic activists.
Fatah's Ramallah and El-Bireh District [Branch] Secretary Muwaffaq Sahwil explained that the postponement was done at the request of the leadership because it is busy, and that the inauguration will be held in the coming days. Sahwil explained to Al-Hadath that the postponement is connected to the presence of [public] figures [at the inauguration], and that because they are busy the inauguration has been postponed.
Regarding the shattering of the square (sic., monument) in previous years, Sahwil said that there are 'anonymous parties who did this,' and that 'work has been carried out for its restoration.'
Regarding the insistence of Rashida Mughrabi, Martyr Dalal Mughrabi's sister, that the inauguration take place on Monday at precisely 3:30 p.m., he emphasized that Fatah is the one that did this, and that she cannot act alone on the matter.
It should be noted that in March 2016, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his country's ambassador to the UN to submit a complaint against the PA due to the fact that it celebrates the anniversary of Mughrabi's death as a Martyr."
[Al-Hadath, independent Palestinian weekly paper, March 11, 2019]
Jamal Muhaisen also holds the following positions: Fatah Commissioner of Mobilization and Organization in the West Bank and PLO Central Council member.
The Yasser Arafat Foundation is, according to the foundation's website, "an independent and non-profit organization" that "receives governmental support and undertakes functions of governmental nature related to the preservation of the heritage of the [late PLO] President [Arafat]." The foundation emphasizes that "it enjoys legal, fiscal, and administrative independence," despite the fact that they receive "governmental allocations" of funding. Likewise, the "honorary president" of the foundation "is the president of the Executive Committee of the PLO/President of the Palestinian National Authority" - meaning the current foundation president is PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. The honorary president approves membership on the foundation's Board of Trustees. At the time of writing, PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah is on the Board of Directors, and several PA, Fatah, and PLO officials are on the Board of Trustees.
The foundation was established in 2007 via Presidential decree. [The Yasser Arafat Foundation, accessed March, 2019]
Text and picture posted on the Facebook page of the Beitunia Upper Elementary School for Girls
Posted text: "With considerable creativity, the events of the Dalal Mughrabi (i.e., terrorist who led murder of 37, 12 of them children) Sports Festival took place today [March 13, 2019] in the presence of Director of the Education Directorate (i.e., branch of the PA Ministry of Education) brother Bassem Erekat, District Governor of Ramallah and El-Bireh Laila Ghannam, and Beitunia Mayor brother Ribhi Dawla."
[Facebook page of the Beitunia Upper Elementary School for Girls, March 13, 2019]
