Palestinian PM sees mother of 6 terrorist murderers as role model
- Ramallah Governor lauds terror mom as "symbol for Palestinian women"
- Terror mom thanks Abbas for rebuilding her home
The most recent show of this infinite endorsement has come from the very top of the PA - from the Prime Minister himself - to Um Nasser Abu Hmeid who is the mother of 6 terrorists responsible for at least 10 murders.
In May 2018, Islam Abu Hmeid threw a marble block from the roof of the Abu Hmeid family house, murdering Israeli staff sergeant Ronen Lyubarsky. In response, as part of its deterrent policy, Israel demolished the family's house. Immediately afterwards, the PA committed itself to rebuilding it. Despite the financial crisis the PA was in, work on the construction progressed and just a few weeks ago, Palestinian media announced that the new structure was taking form. Enforcing the original decision, Israel destroyed the structure being built.
This prompted PA PM Muhammad Shtayyeh to visit the mother, Um Nasser, and promise her the PA will rebuild the family's house once more. Shtayyeh also praised the terror mom as a role model, calling her "a school for patience," stating that Palestinian society "learn from her":
"The prime minister said: 'I convey to you the blessings of [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas, and emphasize to you that wewill remain loyal to our commitments to our prisoners and Martyrs and their families, and this is at the heart of our priorities and concerns and we will build what the occupation destroyed.' He added: 'Um Nasser is a school for patience and we learn perseverance and resolve from her, and Allah willing the day will come when we will visit you in your home in Jerusalem.'"[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Oct. 25, 2019]
Text: "Um Nasser Abu Hmeid in the center, between Prime Minister [Muhammad Shtayyeh] and Minister of Women's Affairs [Amal Hamad] during the ceremony."[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Oct. 28, 2019]
Palestinian Media Watch exposed that it was PA Chairman Abbas himself who decided to spend PA money on rebuilding Um Nasser's house the first time it was demolished, rather than attend to the PA's financial crisis. And indeed the terror mom is aware of this support from the top, as she thanked Abbas directly when interviewed to the official PA daily:
"Um Nasser Abu Hmeid, the owner of the house: 'This is our land and this is our home. As long as there is an occupation we will resist it and rebuild our home. Stones are not dearer than the Martyr sons.' She thanked [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas for rebuilding the house that was demolished and renting homes for the members of the family at the time, and said that 'The president is monitoring our situation and will not abandon us and our people."
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Oct. 25, 2019]
Another staunch supporter - Governor of Ramallah Laila Ghannam - elevated Um Hmeid to "a symbol for Palestinian women" on National Women's Day:
Ghannam: "The women of Ramallah and of the homeland are the mothers of the Martyrs; the mothers of the prisoners - "the living Martyrs"; the female prisoners - the women of all of us; the female Martyrs... We will begin with a blessing for the woman who stood before the ruins of her house five times when it was demolished - Um Yusuf Abu Hmeid... and she is the mother of [Islam] Yusuf Abu Hmeid (i.e., terrorist, murdered 1) and the mother of all the young people to whom we send all the blessings. She is truly a symbol for Palestinian women who have struggled and shown that our will is stronger than this occupation."[Official PA TV, Palestine This Morning, Oct. 26, 2019]
At a meeting with Ghannam, terror mom Um Hmeid again stressed that she has no regrets and that she and her terrorist family will continue on "the path":
Posted text: "Um Yusuf Abu Hmeid emphasized that our leadership, led by His Honor [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas who ordered to rebuild the house the moment the occupation demolished it, will continue to be a thorn in the side of the occupation. She added that she, her family, and her sons - like all of the prisoners' families - will not deviate from the path until achieving the Palestinian rights."[Facebook page of Ramallah and El-Bireh District Governor Laila Ghannam, Oct. 7, 2019]
PA official Ghannam also emphasized her endorsement of the terror mom:
Posted text: "Ghannam blessed this woman who stands firm and expressed her pride in her. [Ghannam] noted that the occupation, try as it may, will not succeed in breaking her determination and willpower. She explained that the occupation, which destroys stones, will not succeed in destroying the willpower that is in the hearts of our families who are committed to a promise."[Facebook page of Ramallah and El-Bireh District Governor Laila Ghannam, Oct. 7, 2019]
This is not the first time that Ramallah Governor Ghannam has embraced Um Nasser and her family. PMW has documented that Ghannam has met with her several times, and praised her as someone from whom Palestinians "draw strength."
The PA has supported the Abu Hmeid family generously by paying salaries to the 5 terrorist-murderer sons serving prison sentences and by paying a monthly allowance to the family for a sixth son who died as "a Martyr." As part of the PA's "Pay-for-Slay" reward program, it pays the family 40,400 shekels/month ($10,800). Over the years, through September 2019, the PA has paid the family at least 4,154,500 shekels ($1,110,498).
The following are longer excerpts of the reports cited above:
Um Nasser Abu Hmeid (Um Yusuf Abu Hmeid/Latifa Abu Hmeid) – Palestinian woman famous and admired in the PA for being the mother of 5 terrorist prisoners serving life sentences (4 of them serving multiple life sentences), and another whom the PA refers to as a "Martyr." Abu Hmeid is also called Khansa of Palestine, which refers to Al-Khansa from the earliest period of Islam who sent her four sons to battle and rejoiced when they all died as Martyrs. Abu Hmeid was honored by the PA in 2010 and 2015, and was chosen in 2011 to launch the PA’s statehood campaign with the UN. Her terrorist sons: Islam Yusuf Abu Hmeid, murdered 1 on May 24, 2018, and is serving life in prison and an additional 8 months; Muhammad Abu Hmeid, serving 2 life sentences and 30 years for involvement in terror attacks; Nasser Abu Hmeid, serving 7 life sentences and 50 years for murdering 7 Israeli civilians and 12 attempted murders; Nasr Abu Hmeid, serving 5 life sentences for involvement in two terror attacks in which 4 were murdered, and arms dealing; Sharif Abu Hmeid, serving 4 life sentences for involvement in terror attacks in which 4 were murdered; Abd Al-Mun'im Muhammad Yusuf Naji Abu Hmeid, murdered 1 on Feb. 13, 1994, and was killed by Israel on May 31, 1994.