Fatah incites violence, praises murderers and declares that Israeli Arab terrorist murderers are a “source of pride” and “symbols of the Palestinian people”

• Abbas phone call to terrorist murderers:

“You are a role model of the nation and this people, and you are symbols of the Palestinian people.” 

• PA Ministry of Education sponsors “winter camp” named “The Heroic Prisoner Maher Younes Camp” in honor of the terrorist

Fatah, the party of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is again openly inciting terror and violence. This time the excuse is that Israel had the bare-faced audacity to prevent celebrations to mark the release from prison of Palestinian terrorist murderer Maher Younes.

In 1980, Maher Younes, together with his cousin Karim Younes, kidnapped and murdered Israeli soldier Avraham Bromberg while he was on his way home from his base. They were arrested in 1983. After being convicted, they were initially sentenced to death, but on appeal, their sentence was reduced to life in prison. In 2012, then Israeli President Shimon Peres decided to commute their sentence to 40 years in prison. Karim Younes was released on Jan. 5, 2023 and Maher Younes was released on Jan. 19, 2023. Both Karim and Maher Younes hold Israeli citzenship and live in Israel, where they also committed their crime.

As Palestinian Media Watch exposed, the PA widely celebrated the release of Karim Younes, inter alia, with high-level officials visiting him in his home within Israel. Abbas even called him to congratulate him and repeated his admiration and unwavering support for terrorists and murderers and his wish to “get rid of” Israel.

Responding to Israel’s decision to prevent the release of Maher Younes turning into another fest of terror glorification, the Fatah prisoners movement declared a ”general mobilization” and called on the “Fatah member knights who have rifles” to "ignite the fire of resistance and defiance”:

Headline: “The Fatah prisoners declare general mobilization, and the occupation police prepares to prevent celebrations over the release of prisoner Maher Younes”
 

“The communications and struggle management committee of the Fatah prisoners’ movement declared general mobilization in all places yesterday evening, Monday [Jan. 16, 2023]…

In its announcement, which bore the number 1, the committee said: ‘O all Fatah member knights who have rifles, awareness, and deep revolutionary identity, O army of freedom, Jerusalem, return, and independence, O distinguished people, heroic knights of Fatah in all the branches and in the diaspora, Al-Aqsa Mosque is shouting to your living conscience, and the land is calling to your believing and brave fists. The prisoners call on you and ignite the fire of resistance and defiance, in order to shatter the colonialists’ arrogance and the fascists’ laws. Rise up all of you, our brothers, hand in hand, so that we will enter the battle of rights, principles, justice, freedom, and independence.’”

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Jan. 17, 2023]

The Fatah call for violence continued with the terrorist prisoners - who referred to themselves as “Fatah’s lions and heroes… the vanguard of the struggle” - addressing the “people of intifada, rocks, Molotov cocktails” and demanding  that the Fatah leadership “prepare the base level in the movement so that together we will wage the battle of rights, independence, return, and release of the Martyrs’ bodies, in spite of the occupiers and their fascist plans”:

‘O people of intifada, rocks, Molotov cocktails, sacrifice, and Martyrs, we in the citadels of captivity, Fatah’s lions and heroes, declare general mobilization in all places, because we represent the vanguard of the struggle, the resolve, and the confrontation, and the spearhead in the future battles in order to defend our human rights, the justice of our cause, and the principles of our struggle and our revolution.We emphasize to the murderous and fascist leaders of Israel that the Palestinian people’s volcano will erupt like storms and volcanoes that will not calm down against their forces, their settlers, and their insane resolutions… We demand that all leaders of our movement and free members of Fatah in all the arenas of organizational activity and confrontation prepare the base level in the movement so that together we will wage the battle of rights, independence, return, and release of the Martyrs’ bodies, in spite of the occupiers and their fascist plans.’”
 

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Jan. 17, 2023]

Despite the ban on celebrations, Maher Younes still received a call from Abbas to congratulate him on his release. While Karim Younes and Maher Younes are Israeli citizens, Abbas recognized them as “source of pride and honor... a role model... and symbols of the Palestinian people”:

“Yesterday [Jan. 19, 2023, PA] President Mahmoud Abbas called fighter Maher Younes to congratulate him over his release from the occupation’s prisons. In the phone conversation, the president said: ‘Welcome back. We are with you in heart and spirit and are happy to see you free outside of the occupation’s prisons, even though you were already free inside prison.’ The president expressed appreciation for the resolve of fighters Karim and Maher Younes in the occupation’s prisons, after they served 40 years of their lives in prison and became symbols of our people and of part of the free people of the world.

The president also wished released prisoner Maher Younes full health and success, and wished that Allah will reward him for the difficulties during his years of imprisonment and the sacrifice that no one sacrificed before him other than released [prisoner] Karim Younes, who served the same time in the occupation’s prisons and was released two weeks ago.

The president said: ‘You two are very upright and a source of pride and honor. You are a role model of the nation and this people, and you are symbols of the Palestinian people.’ …

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Jan. 20, 2023] 

Reporting on a statement issued by the Fatah Central Committee to congratulate Maher Younes on his release, the PA official daily also noted that Younes “constituted a national model and a symbol that will continue to inspire our people”:     

“The Fatah Movement Central Committee congratulated national released [prisoner] Maher Younes, who was released from the occupation’s prisons yesterday, Thursday [Jan. 19, 2023], after 40 years of imprisonment, during which he constituted a national model and a symbol that will continue to inspire our people.”

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Jan. 20, 2023]

The Fatah Central Committee announcement added that the time Yones spent in prison was a “message of defiance” and that releasing all the terrorist prisoners “is a national priority for Fatah and its leadership”:

“In a press release issued for the release of prisoner Maher Younes, the Fatah Central Committee emphasized that the 40 years that he spent in imprisonment are a message of defiance to the occupation and its attempt to break the willpower of our male and female prisoners inside its prisons. It added that the release of prisoners Karim and Maher [Younes] is proof that imprisonment is not a final destiny, and that our prisoners will breathe in freedom despite all the occupation’s efforts and its terror and oppression.

The Central Committee emphasized that the issue of releasing our male and female prisoners from the occupation’s prisons is a national priority for Fatah and its leadership…”

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Jan. 20, 2023]

The Head of the Palestinian National Council - the legislative body of the Palestine Liberation Organization - Rawhi Fatouh also congratulated Younes on his release, referring to him as a “fighter” who “sacrificed himself and his life for the homeland”:

“[Palestinian] National Council (i.e., the legislative body of the PLO) Head Rawhi Fattouh congratulated national fighter Maher Younes over his release after 40 years in the occupation’s prisons. In a statement, Fattouh said that fighter Younes joined Fatah at the start of his youth with his cousin, leader fighter Karim Younes, and he sacrificed himself and his life for the homeland, freedom, and independence.”

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Jan. 20, 2023]

As part of its effort to further poison the minds of the Palestinian kids, the PA Ministry of Education posted an image and text on its Facebook page showing kids in a school celebrating the release of the murderer:

Posted text: “#Maher_Younes (i.e., terrorist, murdered 1 together with an accomplice) is free”
The image shows a picture of terrorist Maher Younes to the left, and two pictures of children at school events holding posters featuring pictures of Maher Younes.

Text at top of image: “Maher Younes is free – congratulations to freedom and to the free people”

Text on poster held by child on right: “Jan. 17, 2023 – Palestine receives the most veteran prisoner Maher Younes”

Text on poster held by child on left: “Winter camp… The Heroic Prisoner Maher Younes Camp”

[PA Ministry of Education, Facebook page, Jan. 19, 2023]