PA TV "salutes" terrorist murderer, saying he "represents all the Palestinians and is a character that has great strength"
Official PA TV program Giants of Endurance, on the film “Sidi Omar,” interview with scriptwriter Walid Al-Houdali and director Bashar Al-Najjar
Scriptwriter Walid Al-Houdali: “For the character we chose Omar Barghouti (i.e., senior Hamas official, murdered 1 person together with accomplices Nael and Fakhri Barghouti). We chose this character because it is an inclusive character that represents all the Palestinians. Secondly, it is a character that has great strength: He confronted the occupation often and did not break. He continued to stand firm, even though as is known he was a life sentence prisoner, and he was released in a prisoner [exchange] deal, and afterwards-”
Official PA TV host: “Administrative detention, and he is the father of a Martyr and the father of a prisoner (i.e., terrorists Saleh and Asem Barghouti who murdered 3 people).” …
Visual:
Segments are shown from the film “Sidi Omar,” in which prisoners are seen singing in the prison yard.
Prisoners: “My brother in the prison cell, the power of your voice called me, Heaven forbid, Heaven forbid, don’t throw away the rifle, come and fulfill every duty”
Host: “An interview with [Omar] ‘Abu Asem’ Barghouti, who through him, through his spirit, through the film that was made about him, we are conveying a message and saluting prisoner Asem Barghouti and Martyr Saleh Barghouti, and especially Qais Saleh Barghouti, the son of Martyr Saleh Barghouti, who many details about him have reached us about his determination, his will, and his love for Nael Barghouti and Asem Barghouti.”
Nael, Fakhri, and Omar Barghouti – Palestinian terrorist relatives and Fatah and Hamas members who stabbed and murdered Israeli bus driver Mordechai Yekuel, 27, after stopping his bus by pretending to be hitchhikers north of Ramallah on Jan. 29, 1978. All three were sentenced to life, but Omar was released in the Jibril Exchange in May 1985. Nael and Fakhri were released in the Shalit prisoner exchange deal in 2011. Nael was arrested again in 2014 for violating the terms of his release by offering Hamas to serve as its minister of prisoners' affairs, and is serving a life sentence plus an additional 18 years. Omar was later rearrested, held under administrative detention, and released; he has served an accumulated total of 26 years in prison.
Saleh Barghouti – Palestinian terrorist who, together with his brother Asem Barghouti and other terrorists, shot and wounded 7 Israelis - a pregnant woman, her husband, another man, and 4 teenagers - in a drive-by shooting attack next to Ofra, north of Jerusalem, on Dec. 9, 2018. Saleh Barghouti was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers during an attempt to apprehend him, during which other terrorists from the attack were taken into custody; Asem Barghouti – who also participated in the Givat Assaf shooting attack on Dec. 13, 2018, in which 2 were murdered - was arrested on Jan. 8, 2019.
Asem Barghouti – Palestinian terrorist who carried out 2 shooting attacks: Together with his brother Saleh Barghouti and other terrorists, he shot and wounded 7 Israelis - a pregnant woman, her husband, another man, and 4 teenagers - in a drive-by shooting attack next to Ofra, north of Jerusalem, on Dec. 9, 2018. The pregnant woman was severely wounded and doctors had to deliver her baby prematurely before operating on her. The baby, Amiad Yisrael Ish-Ran, died three days later. Four days later, Dec. 13, 2018, Asem Barghouti shot and murdered 2 Israelis and seriously wounded 2 others in a shooting attack next to Givat Assaf, near Ramallah. Barghouti fled the scene in a car driven by another terrorist, but was arrested by Israeli forces on Jan. 8, 2019. Barghouti is serving 4 life sentences.