What did Fatah stress in its student union election campaign?

• “Blessings to the rifles that… turned the occupier and its settlers into corpses.”
• Fatah student bragged about Fatah affiliation of Tel Aviv murderers who killed 8
• Fatah student “blesses the weapons that brought blood” and vows that “we will strike them” in Tel Aviv
• Terrorist murderers glorified by Fatah student movement in Birzeit University student union election campaign

During its recent student union election campaign at Birzeit University, which was won by Hamas, Fatah’s Shabiba Student Movement published a video showing a military procession held by the movement at the university. Participating in the procession are masked men in military garb carrying posters of terrorists (See below for more information on the terrorists and their attacks):

Lyrics: “Sort me [into Sai’qa], teach me to follow the path of the Sa’iqa (i.e., Palestinian Ba’athist faction controlled by Syria and an inactive member of the PLO)

Enlist me and train me in the Shabiba camp”

Text on sign on man’s military vest: “The Lion’s Den (i.e., independent Palestinian terror cell)

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades (i.e., Fatah’s terror wing)”

Text on poster: “Martyr Zafer Al-Rimawi” (i.e., terrorist, participated in violent confrontations with Israeli forces)

Text on poster: “Dalal Mughrabi (i.e., terrorist who led murder of 37, including 12 children) – the legend that does not die”

Text on poster: “Heroic Martyr Jawad Al-Rimawi (i.e., terrorist, participated in participating in violent confrontations with Israeli forces)”

Masked men are holding posters of Hamas founder Ahmed Yassin )left) and former PLO and PA chairman Yasser Arafat )right).

Text on poster: “[Fathi] ‘Abu Ra’ad’ Hazem (i.e., terrorist, murdered 3)”

A masked man with “Military publicity” written on his headband is carrying a child on his shoulders. The child is in military uniform and wearing a yellow headband of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, Fatah’s military wing, while carrying a toy gun.

A masked man is holding a poster of arch-terrorist Khalil Al-Wazir “Abu Jihad,” who was responsible for the murder of 125.
Text on man’s headband: “The Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades” [Fatah’s terror wing]

A man is carrying a poster featuring a masked and uniformed man holding an assault rifle. In the upper right corner of the poster is the logo of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, and to the left of it is the logo of the Al-Quds Brigades, Islamic Jihad’s military wing. Under the logos is written: “The Night Harassment Unit.” On the left is written: “Brothers in blood and arms”

Text on man’s headband: “Al-Quds Brigades”

Posted text on the Telegram channel: “‘Enlist me and train me in the [Fatah] Shabiba [Student Movement] camp

#Martyr_Yasser_Arafat_Faction
#Birzeit_University
#Volunteering_giving_sacrifice_redemption”

[Martyr Yasser Arafat Faction, the Fatah Shabiba Student Movement
at Birzeit University, Telegram channel, May 7, 2023]

Leading up to the elections, a debate was held between the Fatah Shabiba Student Movement and the Islamic Cell, which is affiliated with Hamas. Abbas’ Fatah published a part of the debate in which a Fatah student is heard bragging about 2 terrorists who murdered 8 people in the Tel Aviv area, a third terrorist who was responsible for numerous shooting attacks, and a fourth who shot at Israeli soldiers. Among other things, the Fatah student “blesses the weapons that brought blood” and vows that “we will strike them” in Tel Aviv: 

Fatah Shabiba Student Movement representative: “Blessings to the rifles that passed through the homeland’s territories, starting with [Ibrahim] Al-Nabulsi (i.e., terrorist) and “the [Lion’s] Den” and until the brigades that set out in Jericho, Tulkarem, and Jenin and turned the occupier and its settlers into corpses… [We love to encounter] the Israeli forces with rifles and bullets, to encounter them in Tal Al-Rabia (i.e., Tel Aviv) with the rifle of Ra’ad [Hazem] and the bullets of Diya [Hamarsheh] (i.e., terrorist murderers), [and] to encounter them in Jenin with the rifle of Abdallah Abu Al-Tin (i.e., terrorist).”

[Fatah Commission of Information and Culture, Facebook page, May 23, 2023]

During the election campaign, Fatah also posted another video that glorified terror, of the wanted fugitive Fathi Hazem – the father of terrorist Ra’ad Hazem, who murdered 3 – speaking on stage at an event. Fathi Hazem expressed support for the Islamic faction affiliated with the Hamas terror organization and for Fatah, saying that should Fatah win, his murderer son would “come back to life!”: 

Posted text: “We are [option] number three [in the Birzeit University student council elections]

To victory

The revolution is until victory, until victory, until victory

Commander Fathi Hazem ‘Abu Ra’ad’ (i.e., fugitive father of terrorist who murdered 3)”

Wanted fugitive Fathi Hazem: “I say in advance to our brothers in the Islamic faction (i.e., affiliated with Hamas), if you win, 1,000 blessings. And I say to my brothers in the Fatah Shabiba [Student Movement], if you win, Ra’ad [Hazem] (i.e., terrorist, murdered 3) will come back to life!”

[Fatah Commission of Information and Culture, Facebook page,
May 18, 2023]

Fatah’s student movement Shabiba was also busy glorifying terrorists at An-Najah National University. Fatah posted several photos of imprisoned terrorist murderers, listing them as “member[s] of the Shabiba Student Movement at An-Najah National University”:

Nasser Awais, imprisoned terrorist responsible for murder of 14:

Posted text: “Prisoner commander Nasser Awais

A member of the [Fatah] Shabiba Student Movement at An-Najah National University

#The_Shabiba_revolution [Fatah-run] #Awdah [TV]”

Text on image: “#The_Shabiba_revolution

Revolution until victory

Prisoner commander, Nasser Awais

A member of the Shabiba Student Movement at An-Najah National University

Awdah”

[Fatah Commission of Information and Culture, Facebook page, May 16, 2023]

Yasser Abu Bakr, imprisoned murderer of 3:

Posted text: “Prisoner commander Yasser Abu Bakr

A member of the [Fatah] Shabiba Student Movement at An-Najah National University

#The_Shabiba_revolution [Fatah-run] #Awdah [TV]”

Text on image: “#The_Shabiba_revolution

Revolution until victory

Prisoner commander Yasser Abu Bakr

A member of the Shabiba Student Movement at An-Najah National University

Awdah”

[Fatah Commission of Information and Culture, Facebook page, May 16, 2023]

Maslama Thabet, imprisoned murderer of 2:

Posted text: “Prisoner commander Maslama Thabet

A member of the [Fatah] Shabiba Student Movement at An-Najah National University

#The_Shabiba_revolution [Fatah-run] #Awdah [TV]”

 

Text on image: “#The_Shabiba_revolution

Revolution until victory

Prisoner commander Maslama Thabet

A member of the Shabiba Student Movement at An-Najah National University

Awdah”

[Fatah Commission of Information and Culture, Facebook page,
May 16, 2023]

Marwan Barghouti, an imprisoned terrorist who orchestrated attacks in which 5 were murdered, was also praised and glorified at An-Najah National University. Posting on Facebook, his wife praised his “prominent presence” and the “waving of his picture” despite his imprisonment:

Posted text: “Blessings to the [Fatah] Shabiba [Student Movement]

The prominent presence of commander Marwan Barghouti in the plazas of our Palestinian universities despite his absence, and the waving of his picture, are the best proof of our Fatah Shabiba’s loyalty to its founder and commander [Marwan Barghouti] ‘Abu Al-Qassam,’ and a clear expression of the symbolic place that he holds in the emotions, thoughts, and hearts of the members of Shabiba, which for a long time symbol commander [Barghouti] ‘Abu Al-Qassam’ has viewed as the conscience of the Fatah Movement, its renewing springtime, its living wellspring, and its revolutionary energies. [The Shabiba members] emphasize that the small professional mistakes must not preoccupy us when we stand before the greatness of the democratic sight that our student children have been blessed with at the university of the blockade and the victory – An-Najah [National] University (refers to student council elections held at the university -Ed.). We call on the Shabiba members to increase unity so as to achieve victory.”

[Fadwa Barghouti, Facebook page, May 15, 2023]

Despite all this Fatah terror glorification, student voters chose the students representing the terror organization Hamas at An-Najah University:

“Yesterday evening, Tuesday [May 16, 2023], An-Najah National University published the results of the university’s student union council elections. The voter turnout stood at 69.83%.

According to the An-Najah University election committee’s publication, the results were as follows:

The Democratic Student Alliance did not reach the electoral threshold, while the Martyr Abu Ali Mustafa Faction (i.e., secretary-general of PFLP terror organization) obtained 3 seats, the Martyrs’ Faction (i.e., affiliated with Fatah) [obtained] 38 seats, and the Muslim Faction of Palestine (i.e., affiliated with Hamas) [obtained] 40 seats.”

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

At Birzeit University too Fatah lost to the Islamic Cell, but chose to stress the fact that compared to last year, Fatah did win more seats at the student council elections:

Text on image: “A substantial strengthening of the [Fatah] Shabiba Student Movement and a large setback for the Islamic Cell in the 2023 Birzeit University [student union] elections"

Last year’s [2022] results			This year’s [2023] results
	Votes	Seats		Votes	Seats
Shabiba	3,379	18	Shabiba	3,539	20
Islamic Cell	5,068	28	Islamic Cell	4,481	25
Difference	1,689	10	Difference	942	5

”

[Fatah Commission of Information and Culture, Facebook page, May 24, 2023]

Palestinian Media Watch has reported on similar terror glorification at Palestinian universities in the past. In a previous campaign, Fatah Shabiba Student Movement used a poster showing the PA map of “Palestine” as a knife dripping blood, with the text “Plant a knife in the heart of your enemy”:

The following is information on the terrorists glorified by the Fatah Shabiba Student Movement:

Yasser Arafat – Founder of Fatah and former chairman of the PLO and PA. During the 1960s, 70s and 80s Arafat was behind numerous terror attacks against Israelis. Although he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 together with then Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and then Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Shimon Peres “for their efforts to create peace in the Middle East" after signing the Oslo Accords peace agreement, Arafat launched a 5-year terror campaign - the second Intifada (2000-2005) – in which more than 1,000 Israelis were murdered. Arafat died of an illness in 2004.

The Lion's Den - an independent Palestinian terror cell largely based in Nablus. It has not stated an official affiliation and its members come from a variety of terror organizations, including Fatah's military wing the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad. The Lion's Den was responsible for numerous shooting attacks mainly in the West Bank beginning in 2022, with an uptick in shootings during September-October 2022. Two of the main founders of the cell were Fatah terrorists Muhammad Al-Azizi and Ibrahim Al-Nabulsi, both killed in shootouts with Israeli forces on July 24, 2022 and Aug. 9, 2022 respectively.

Dalal Mughrabi – female Palestinian terrorist who led the most lethal terror attack in Israel’s history, known as the Coastal Road massacre, in 1978, when she and other Fatah terrorists hijacked a bus on Israel's Coastal Highway, murdering 37 civilians, 12 of them children, and wounding over 70.

Ahmed Yassin – Founder and former head of the terror organization Hamas. The Hamas movement is responsible for numerous terror attacks and the murder of hundreds of Israeli civilians.

Fathi Hazem – father of terrorist Ra’ad Hazem who murdered 3 Israeli civilians in Tel Aviv on April 7, 2022. Fathi Hazem, a member of the PA Security Forces, is suspected of providing his son Ra'ad with the weapon used in the attack and is currently a wanted fugitive.

Abu Jihad (Khalil Al-Wazir) – was a founder of Fatah and deputy to Yasser Arafat. He headed the PLO terror organization's military wing and planned many deadly Fatah terror attacks in the 1960’s - 1980’s, in which a total of 125 Israelis were murdered. Attacks included the most lethal in Israeli history - the hijacking of a bus and murder of 37 civilians, 12 of them children.

Nasser Awais – Palestinian terrorist who planned many attacks, one of the founders of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades (Fatah’s military wing), and assistant to arch-terrorist Marwan Barghouti. Awais was convicted of murdering 14 Israelis and wounding dozens in different attacks: 6 murdered in a shooting attack at a Bat Mitzvah celebration in Hadera on Jan. 16, 2002; 3 murdered in a shooting and stabbing attack at the Seafood Market restaurant in Tel Aviv on March 5, 2002; 2 murdered in a shooting attack in Jerusalem on Jan. 22, 2002 ; 2 murdered, 1 a baby, in a hand grenade attack in Netanya on March 9, 2002; one Israeli border policeman murdered when Israeli forces deployed to prevent a planned terror attack in northern Israel on March 31, 2002. Awais is serving 14 life sentences and an additional 50 years.

Yasser Abu Bakr – Palestinian terrorist and member of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades (Fatah’s military wing) who was responsible for a terrorist attack in Netanya on March 9, 2002, in which two terrorists opened fire and threw grenades at the Jeremy Hotel, murdering Avia Malka, a nine-month-old baby, and Israel Yihye, 27. Abu Bakr was also responsible for the murder of Israeli border policeman Constantine Danilov, 23, who was shot while trying to stop two terrorists from infiltrating Israeli territory in the area of Baqa Al-Gharbiya in northern Israel, as they were on their way to committing a suicide bombing on March 30, 2002. Abu Bakr is serving 3 life sentences and an additional 40 years.

Maslama Thabet – Palestinian terrorist who participated in the kidnapping and murder of Etgar Zeituni and Motti Dayan in Tulkarem on Jan. 23, 2001, as well as additional terrorist activities. Thabet is serving a 25-year sentence.

Abu Ali Mustafa - Palestinian terrorist and Secretary-General of the terror organization Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The PFLP, which rejected the Oslo Accords (1993), has planned and carried out numerous terror attacks against Israeli civilians since its founding in 1967 and throughout the Palestinian terror campaign between 2000-2005 (the Intifada).