From PA blood libel to a UN libel: The malignant growth of a Palestinian blood libel

Facts:

A Palestinian terrorist attempted to stab an Israeli couple in their car, then stabbed an Israeli soldier in his face, stabbed and lightly wounded an Israeli officer who then shot and killed him

PA Presidency libel about the terrorist:

He was “executed in cold blood” - “a heinous crime”

UN embraces PA libel:

“Horrified by today’s killing of a Palestinian man during a scuffle … My heartfelt condolences to his bereaved family… those responsible [must be] held accountable.” [Tor Wennesland, personal Twitter account, Dec. 3, 2022]

PA policy is to glorify the "heroic" terrorists while simultaneously accusing Israel of executing innocent Palestinians. The cartoon above illustrates one expression of this PA libel that was already being spread in 2015 by the PA: The baseless claim that Israel plants knives near “innocent” Palestinians after they “execute” them.

While for years Palestinian Media Watch has exposed this as one of the many PA libels, the libel has not been condemned by the international community. On Friday this willful blindness reached new dimensions when the UN representative Tor Wessenland actually disseminated the PA libel as fact and called for the “investigation” of the Israeli soldier who in defense of his own life and that of others shot and killed the terrorist:

"Horrified by today’s killing of a Palestinian man, Ammar Mifleh, during a scuffle with an Israeli soldier near Huwarra in the o. West Bank. My heartfelt condolences to his bereaved family. Such incidents must be fully & promptly investigated, & those responsible held accountable.”

[Tor Wennesland, personal Twitter account, Dec. 3, 2022]

The PA presidency presents the attack and the Israeli soldier’s response as a “cold-blooded killing of a Palestinian youth at the hands of an Israeli soldier” as if this was unprovoked. The PA presidency further described this as “part of the series of crimes committed daily against the Palestinian people” and an expression of “official policy” – completely ignoring the series of daily Palestinian terror attacks against Israelis. And the UN representative gives credence to the libel by expressing his horror at the killing of this terrorist and sending condolences to the family. Here are the PA lies:

Headline: “Presidency condemns cold-blooded killing of youth by Israeli soldier's fire in Nablus”

“The Palestinian presidency tonight slammed the cold-blooded killing of a Palestinian youth at the hands of an Israeli soldier in the town of Huwwara, in Nablus, as a heinous crime and as part of the series of crimes committed daily against the Palestinian people.

The presidency, in a statement, affirmed that these crimes which have become an official policy for the successive Israeli governments require urgent intervention to provide international protection to the defenseless Palestinian people.

It stressed that the continued international silence led to the commission of such crimes in cold blood, stating that the ongoing policy of impunity and lack of accountability have encouraged these governments to commit more crimes against the Palestinian people.”

[Wafa, official PA news agency, Dec. 2, 2022]

In a call to the dead terrorist’s father PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas similarly ignored Mefleh’s attack, and - true to PA policy - repeated the PA libel that this was “a despicable crime of execution, which was committed by an Israeli soldier in cold blood”:

“President Mahmoud Abbas called Hamdi Mefleh and expressed condolences over the death as a Martyr of his son Ammar [Mefleh] (i.e., terrorist, wounded 2) in a despicable crime of execution, which was committed by an Israeli soldier in cold blood.

The president condemned this despicable crime, which constitutes part of the series of crimes that the occupation is committing every day…”

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Dec. 4, 2022]

PMW has documented since 2015 the PA libel that Israel routinely “summarily executes” innocent Palestinians. Contradicting its own claim that the terrorist stabbers were innocent, the official PA daily admitted a few years later that 161 Palestinians did carry out stabbing attacks during the Palestinian terror wave 2015-2016. (See cartoon above.)

Just last week, Palestinian Media Watch exposed that a murderer of 3 Israeli civilians was turned into a victim of an “arbitrary attack” and “execution in cold blood”:

Official PA TV newsreader: “Young Muhammad Murad Souf, 18 (i.e., terrorist, murdered 3), died as a Martyr … shot by the occupation forces in the Ariel settlement industrial park…”

Fatah Secretary in town of Hares, Hashem Daoud: “We as Fatah Tanzim (i.e., Fatah terror faction) strongly condemn the arbitrary attack against our children, especially the execution of Martyr [Muhammad Souf] in cold blood today…

Official PA TV reporter: “Today a new crime has been added to the list of the occupation’s crimes, and a new Martyr joins the procession of Martyrs, who with their blood are drawing the most exalted scenes of glory and the supreme degree of loyalty to the soil of this homeland.”

 [Official PA TV News, Nov. 15, 2022]

In May, 16-year-old terrorist Ghaith Rafiq Yamin left a will with instructions to family and friends about what to do after his death as a “Martyr” before he set out to confront Israeli soldiers. Participating in violent riots in Nablus he threw a Molotov cocktail at Israeli soldiers who shot and killed him in self-defense. Despite his clear intention to seek death proven by his will, the PA still presented him as a victim of a “summary execution.” Furthermore, the PA Ministry of Foreign Affairs alleged that the “summary executions” are carried out by Israeli soldiers according to “orders from the political and military echelon” in Israel:

Headline: “The [PA] Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates: The execution of child Ghaith is a continuation of the series of crimes of summary executions”

“The [PA] Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned the crime committed by the occupation forces in Nablus in the early morning hours yesterday [May 25, 2022], as a result of which young Ghaith Yamin (i.e., terrorist, threw a Molotov cocktail at Israeli soldiers), 16, died as a Martyr following [the forces’] provocative invasion of the city. It said that this is a continuation of a long series of crimes of summary execution, which the occupation’s soldiers and officers are committing on orders from the political and military echelon in the occupation state.”

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, May 26, 2022]

When a Palestinian terrorist stabbed and wounded an Israeli civilian using a screwdriver while they were riding on a bus in March this year and was shot and killed by two other civilian passengers, the PA called it “a summary execution”: 

Also in March, PA Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh “condemned the crime of execution committed by the occupation forces” when they shot and killed two:

Official PA TV newsreader: “[PA] Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh condemned the crime of execution committed by the occupation forces against the two young people Abdallah Al-Hasri and Shadi Najm in the Jenin refugee camp, and noted that our people that is under occupation needs international protection and Israel is a state rebelling against the law and it must be made to pay the price of its aggression against our people politically, economically, and legally.”

[Official PA TV News, March 1, 2022]

In 2020, official PA TV claimed all Palestinian children are in danger of “random summary executions”:

Official PA TV reporter: “The Palestinian children are being subjected to random summary executions, and there is no security for their lives which are threatened by danger at every moment. Every one of them – on the road or at home – is a candidate to be the next Martyr.”

[Official PA TV News, Nov. 20, 2020]

PMW has exposed that the PA regularly frightens and instills hate of Israel in children by telling them that Israel is killing them deliberately.

The following are additional examples of the PA lie that Israel “summarily executes” innocent Palestinians as policy, when in fact the “innocent” were terrorists who tried and/or succeeded wounding and even murdering Israelis: 

PA rewrites history (again!): Car rammer who attacked injured victim with ax portrayed as victim (November 2022)

Following Israeli neutralization of terrorist stabber, PA Prime Minister says the self-defensive killing was "cold-blooded murder" (June 2022)

PA libel: "There are fixed and clear instructions from the Israeli government to murder the Palestinian people” (December 2021)

PA: Terrorist murderer and other attackers were “defenseless civilians,” victims of Israeli “war crimes” (December 2021)  

A new chapter in the PA’s fictitious narrative of victimhood:‎ Terrorists are innocent, “executed by Israel” for no reason (February 2021)

PA libel: Israel “is deliberately killing the Palestinian children” - PA TV host demonizes Israel on kids’ program (November 2020)

PA rewrites history as it happens (July 2020)

PA deceives Palestinians: Claims Israel fabricated terror attack, despite video (March 2020)

PA says teenage killer who murdered Israeli was victim (September 2018)

PA lies, but video tells the truth (August 2019)

PA TV host's libel: Israel "has built itself on the bodies of children" (March 2018)

PA daily cartoon shows Israeli soldier arresting naked baby (October 2016)

PA libel continues: Terrorist stabbers are “unarmed” victims of Israeli executions (September 2016)

Fatah libel: Israel executes Palestinian children - and the US supports it (December 2015)

PA lies: Israel fabricates stabbings to incriminate Palestinians (October 2015)

Fatah glorifies the knife (October 2015)

The following is a longer excerpt of Abbas’ statement cited above:

Headline: “The [PA] president: The occupation’s crimes require urgent intervention to provide international defense to our defenseless people”

“Yesterday evening [Dec. 3, 2022, PA] President Mahmoud Abbas called Hamdi Mefleh and expressed condolences over the death as a Martyr of his son Ammar [Mefleh] (i.e., terrorist, wounded 2) in a despicable crime of execution, which was committed by an Israeli soldier in cold blood.

The president condemned this despicable crime, which constitutes part of the series of crimes that the occupation is committing every day, which requires urgent intervention to provide international defense to our defenseless people.”

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Dec. 4, 2022]