College class and Fatah summer camp group named after terrorist Mughrabi
Palestinian college class
and Fatah summer camp group
named after terrorist Mughrabi
who led killing of 37 in bus hijacking
and Fatah summer camp group
named after terrorist Mughrabi
who led killing of 37 in bus hijacking
by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik
A Palestinian summer camp for children and a girl’s college in the West Bank have continued the Palestinian Authority policy of presenting terrorist Dalal Mughrabi as a role model for children. Mughrabi in 1978 led the most lethal terror attack in Israel’s history, in which 37 civilians were killed, 12 of them children.
The summer camp for children of the Fatah youth organization called “the Lion Cubs and Flowers,” was divided into three groups. One was named after terrorist Mughrabi and the two others were named after Yasser Arafat and Abu Jihad, who was the terrorist leader who planned Mughrabi’s bus hijacking.
Also reported in the official PA daily was a description of the graduation ceremony at the Al-Tireh Girls’ College in Ramallah for the current graduating class, likewise named after terrorist Dalal Mughrabi. The graduation ceremony was held under the auspices of two Fatah MPs.
As documented by Palestinian Media Watch, Mughrabi has been glorified by the PA for many years with tournaments and summer camps named after her and music videos on TV honoring her and her terror attack. She has been presented as a role model for Palestinians and particularly for Palestinian youth.
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has himself glorified Dalal Mughrabi. In 2009 he funded a computer center named after her, and in 2010 he sponsored a “birthday party” on what would have been Mughrabi's 50th birthday.
For more details see PMW’s bulletin “Abbas's duplicity about his support for honoring terrorist Dalal Mughrabi.”
The following are the two recent articles in the official PA daily about the summer camp and school class named after Mughrabi. Below them are additional examples from 2011 of the PA’s presenting Mughrabi as a Palestinian hero:
“The Halhoul [West Bank city] Cultural Forum, in cooperation with the Sanabel Al-Kheir Association, held the concluding ceremony yesterday for the second Sanabel [summer] camp, which comprised three groups: the Shahid (Martyr) Yasser Arafat group; the Shahid Abu Jihad group; and the Shahida Dalal Mughrabi group. Participating in the ceremony was the Coordinator of the “Lion Cubs and Flowers” (i.e., Fatah group for boys and girls) of the northern Hebron branch of the Fatah movement, Yahya Mifrih… At the end of the ceremony, certificates were awarded to the 130 boys and girls, including 30 special-needs children.”
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, July 4, 2011]
“Under the auspices of Madar [The Palestinian Forum for Israeli Studies] – the Shabiba [Fatah student movement] at the Al-Tireh [Girls’] College celebrated the graduation of the class of ‘Dalal Mughrabi’ … Under the auspices of MP’s Walid Asaf and Dr. Najat Abu Bakr, the Shabiba student movement held a graduation ceremony for the ‘Dalal Mughrabi’ class.”
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, June 17, 2011]
The following are additional examples from 2011 of the PA’s presenting Mughrabi as a Palestinian hero and role model:
PA Minister of Prisoners' Affairs glorifies Dalal Mughrabi and suicide bombers on
International Women's day
"[PA] Minister of Prisoners' Affairs [Issa Karake]... spoke at a ceremony honoring female prisoners in the occupation's (i.e., Israel’s) prisons, held by the Ministry [of Prisoners' Affairs] to mark International Women's Day and Mothers' Day...
[Karake] stated: 'This is the month of heroism and action on behalf of the male and female prisoners, and we must act so that their cause will be the most pre-eminent, like their predecessors, such as Dalal Mughrabi, Darin Abu Aisheh (i.e., suicide bomber whose attack in 2002, injured 2), Wafa Idris (i.e., first Palestinian female suicide bomber whose attack in 2002 in Jerusalem, killed one and injured more than 150), and all the female Shahids (Martyrs) and prisoners."
[Karake] stated: 'This is the month of heroism and action on behalf of the male and female prisoners, and we must act so that their cause will be the most pre-eminent, like their predecessors, such as Dalal Mughrabi, Darin Abu Aisheh (i.e., suicide bomber whose attack in 2002, injured 2), Wafa Idris (i.e., first Palestinian female suicide bomber whose attack in 2002 in Jerusalem, killed one and injured more than 150), and all the female Shahids (Martyrs) and prisoners."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 21, 2011]
PA official: March full of “Palestinian national pride,” including “day of Dalal Mughrabi operation”
District Governor of Hebron Kamel Hamid in PA TV phone interview on the importance of the month of March:
“It’s a special month, at a special time. It’s a month full of Palestinian national pride, with national struggle, with a long national campaign: the Al-Karameh battle (i.e., 1968, the Israeli army fought against the PLO and Jordanian army); National Unity Day to end the rift [between Fatah and Hamas]; Mothers’ Day, and more; [International] Women’s Day; Almond Day; the day of Dalal Mughrabi’s operation (i.e., terror attack killing 37 civilians); Land Day. Therefore, this month is a month of special struggle in the history of the Palestinian people.”
[PA TV (Fatah), March 15, 2011]
Ramallah square named after terrorist Dalal Mughrabi
Abbas’s advisor: “Every one of us has tried in his own way to express his pride in this Shahida (Martyr)”
Headline: “Residents insist on naming square in Ramallah after the Shahida Dalal Mughrabi”
“Palestinian activists announced yesterday that they were insisting on naming a square in Ramallah after the Shahida Dalal Mughrabi. This follows the PA rejection of an official inauguration of the function, because of Israeli opposition. March 13 will be the 33rd anniversary of Dalal’s death as a Martyr in a military operation (i.e., terror attack) which she led inside Israel in 1978. About a hundred residents, representing universities and the General Association of Palestinian Writers, gathered yesterday and put up a large photograph, inscribed with the name Dalal Mughrabi, as well as a picture of the boat in which she entered Israel. Deputy Secretary of the Fatah Revolutionary Council [and advisor to Abbas], Sabri Saidam, told Agence France-Presse: ‘Today a popular inauguration of the junction is being held. There has been insistence on naming this junction after the Shahida Dalal Mughrabi. Every one of us has tried in his own way to express his pride in this Shahida.’
The junction was supposed to be inaugurated in March 2010, but Israeli protest at naming the junction after Dalal Mughrabi caused the PA to postpone the official inauguration. Saidam said: ‘The inauguration of the junction and the naming of roads lie within the jurisdiction of the local government in each town. What I know for certain is that there is no official withdrawal from [the intention to] name the junction after the Shahida Dalal.’”
“Palestinian activists announced yesterday that they were insisting on naming a square in Ramallah after the Shahida Dalal Mughrabi. This follows the PA rejection of an official inauguration of the function, because of Israeli opposition. March 13 will be the 33rd anniversary of Dalal’s death as a Martyr in a military operation (i.e., terror attack) which she led inside Israel in 1978. About a hundred residents, representing universities and the General Association of Palestinian Writers, gathered yesterday and put up a large photograph, inscribed with the name Dalal Mughrabi, as well as a picture of the boat in which she entered Israel. Deputy Secretary of the Fatah Revolutionary Council [and advisor to Abbas], Sabri Saidam, told Agence France-Presse: ‘Today a popular inauguration of the junction is being held. There has been insistence on naming this junction after the Shahida Dalal Mughrabi. Every one of us has tried in his own way to express his pride in this Shahida.’
The junction was supposed to be inaugurated in March 2010, but Israeli protest at naming the junction after Dalal Mughrabi caused the PA to postpone the official inauguration. Saidam said: ‘The inauguration of the junction and the naming of roads lie within the jurisdiction of the local government in each town. What I know for certain is that there is no official withdrawal from [the intention to] name the junction after the Shahida Dalal.’”
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 14, 2011]
Abbas’s advisor proposes naming city square after terrorist Dalal Mughrabi
"Advisor to President Mahmoud Abbas... The weapons must be turned towards the main enemy (i.e., Israel)"
"Advisor to President Mahmoud Abbas and under-secretary of the Fatah Revolutionary Council, Sabri Saidam, delivered a speech in which he criticized [the fact] that many leaders don’t participate in the [events marking] the anniversary of Martyrs... He emphasized that the weapons must be turned towards the main enemy [Israel] and that internal differences of opinion must be set aside. Saidam noted the awful living conditions of the families of Shahids (Martyrs), in the country and outside of it, and as proof he said that the allowance to the family of Shahida (Martyr) Dalal Mughrabi (i.e., leader of the bus hijacking in 1978 in which 37 civilians were murdered) is a mere $123. He… emphasized that the anniversary of Dalal's Martyrdom-seeking (i.e., her terror attack) should be honored by inaugurating a square in her name in the city of El-Bireh."
"Advisor to President Mahmoud Abbas and under-secretary of the Fatah Revolutionary Council, Sabri Saidam, delivered a speech in which he criticized [the fact] that many leaders don’t participate in the [events marking] the anniversary of Martyrs... He emphasized that the weapons must be turned towards the main enemy [Israel] and that internal differences of opinion must be set aside. Saidam noted the awful living conditions of the families of Shahids (Martyrs), in the country and outside of it, and as proof he said that the allowance to the family of Shahida (Martyr) Dalal Mughrabi (i.e., leader of the bus hijacking in 1978 in which 37 civilians were murdered) is a mere $123. He… emphasized that the anniversary of Dalal's Martyrdom-seeking (i.e., her terror attack) should be honored by inaugurating a square in her name in the city of El-Bireh."
[Al-Ayyam, March 10, 2011]
Children in Fatah youth club glorify terrorists, including Dalal Mughrabi
“The Fatah Tulkarem region’s Boys’ and Girls’ Institute organized two ‘Yes, We Can’ workshops… These workshops are part of a series of activities that the institute is holding in order to enrich the boys and girls with national knowledge, and are part of the ‘Yes, We Can’ program. One of the boys, Sa’id Al-Zubeidi, spoke about the life and heroism of the Shahida (Martyr) Dalal Mughrabi. One of the girls, Aseel Al-Sheikh Yousuf, told the story of the three Shahids who were executed by the British Mandate: Ataa Al-Zir, Fuad Hejazi, and Muhammad Jamjoum.”
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Feb. 15, 2011]
Fatah chooses terrorist Mughrabi as example of the “people’s shining and glorious history” in university exhibition
“The Shahid Yasser Arafat unit of [Fatah’s] Shabiba student movement yesterday ended a week-long artistic exhibition on the campus of the Al-Quds University in Abu Dis, commemorating the 46th anniversary of the establishment of the Fatah movement and the modern Palestinian revolution. The exhibition, entitled ‘Pioneers of the Cause’ and visited by hundreds of students and visitors, included a number of sections, bearing the names ‘Shahid (Martyr) Yasser Arafat section’, ‘Intifada section’, ‘Nakba (i.e., “Catastrophe” - reference to the creation of the State of Israel) section’, ‘Dalal Mughrabi section’, and ‘Fatah section’… Anas Abu Al-Roub, head of the Student Council at Al-Quds University in Abu Dis, praised the efforts of the university students… and said, ‘We must preserve our people’s shining and glorious history, and the revolution and the Shahids, and we must maintain the principles for which our Shahids, prisoners and the injured made their sacrifices.’”
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Jan. 7, 2011]
PA TV music videos honor Dalal Mughrabi
Just a few days apart PA TV broadcast two different music videos honoring Mughrabi and glorifying her terror attack:
"We [PLO squad] set out on patrol from Lebanon; with no fear of death or the darkness of prison. On the coast [Dalal] Mughrabi's blood was shed, the color of [red] coral on [white] lemon flowers."
[PA TV (Fatah), Jan. 2, 2011]
Click to view"The coast was stormy with the glory of Dalal Mughrabi. On the [Israeli] coast the heroes landed, who shook the land, brought down mountains. Dalal declared the birth of the [Palestinian] Republic, the birth of the Republic."
[PA TV (Fatah), Dec. 30, 2010]
Click to view
PA TV shows Arab world TV clip of terrorist Mughrabi as “model woman” for the Arab world
The Dalal Mughrabi promotion by the PA has led to international Arab world prominence and Mughrabi is now being presented as a role model for Arab women in general. The following is a video clip being broadcast to the Arab world as part of a project to encourage greater role be played by and given to women in society, that presents eight different women as role models - one is the terrorist Mughrabi:
Text on screen: "The Model Woman"
Host of program:
"Woman is the foundation of existence.
Love – Ishtar – the symbol of fertility and altruism.
(Ishtar - Babylonian goddess)
Willpower – Cleopatra – wit and wisdom.
(Cleopatra - Queen of Egypt)
Intelligence – Balqis [and] Zenobia – fighting.
(Queens of Sheba and Palmyra)
Resolve – Al Khansa – Martyrdom and giving.
(7th cent. poet who celebrated her four sons' deaths in battle)
Courage – Bint Al-Azwar – strong faith.
(7th cent. Arab poet who fought against the Byzantine Empire)
Martyrdom – Dalal Mughrabi – victory over enmity.
(led terror attack in which 37 Israeli civilians were killed)
Struggle – Djamila Bouhired – human freedom.
(Algerian terrorist who became a political activist)
Freedom, giving, patience, sacrifice, life, loyalty – "White Hands."
For her sake, for our sake, for the sake of a society aspiring towards giving – “White Hands” Campaign."
Text on screen: "The largest media campaign to support women's issues."
"Woman is the foundation of existence.
Love – Ishtar – the symbol of fertility and altruism.
(Ishtar - Babylonian goddess)
Willpower – Cleopatra – wit and wisdom.
(Cleopatra - Queen of Egypt)
Intelligence – Balqis [and] Zenobia – fighting.
(Queens of Sheba and Palmyra)
Resolve – Al Khansa – Martyrdom and giving.
(7th cent. poet who celebrated her four sons' deaths in battle)
Courage – Bint Al-Azwar – strong faith.
(7th cent. Arab poet who fought against the Byzantine Empire)
Martyrdom – Dalal Mughrabi – victory over enmity.
(led terror attack in which 37 Israeli civilians were killed)
Struggle – Djamila Bouhired – human freedom.
(Algerian terrorist who became a political activist)
Freedom, giving, patience, sacrifice, life, loyalty – "White Hands."
For her sake, for our sake, for the sake of a society aspiring towards giving – “White Hands” Campaign."
Text on screen: "The largest media campaign to support women's issues."
[PA TV (Fatah), weekly Nov. - Dec., 2010 and May - June, 2011]
Click to see PMW report on "The Model Woman" campaign
To view more on PA’s glorification of Mughrabi as role model, click here.
To view more on PA’s glorification of terrorists, click here.
To view PMW’s report From Terrorists to Role Models, click here.