Fatah leader Rajoub: Hamas leader Arouri was an “extraordinary leader… I am among the believers in his ideology”
Fatah Central Committee Secretary Jibril Rajoub, Facebook page, Jan. 3, 2024
Fatah Central Committee Secretary Jibril Rajoub: We in the Fatah movement, from the leadership and its base, express our condolences to our people, to his family, to the Hamas movement, to all the Palestinian national forces, and all the free people in the world, over [the death of] the extraordinary national leader [Saleh al-Arouri], who was always extraordinary in the way of his struggle (i.e., PA euphemism for terror)...I am among the believers in his ideology, his way, and his activity, and therefore this is a trust upon us that we be loyal, and I am sure that this generation of young people who believe in Palestinian nationalism will also be loyal… including that which concerns perfecting the resistance (i.e., terror) and confrontation with the occupation (i.e., Israel).
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[TV host:] When was the last time you met him?
Rajoub: I met him on the sixth of October, that's not the point... I am pained by his passing and I see his passing as a loss for Fatah just as it is a loss for Hamas and a Palestinian loss and a loss for the global liberation movement, whether they are Muslim or non-Muslim
Jibril Rajoub also serves as Head of the PLO Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, Chairman of the Palestinian Football Association, Chairman of the Palestine Olympic Committee, and Chairman of the Palestinian Scout Association (PSA).
Hamas war on Israel October 2023 - At least 1,200 Israelis, including over 1,000 civilians, were murdered and over 4,800 wounded, in addition to approximately 244 who were abducted into the Gaza Strip (including 110 later released or liberated and at least 26 later killed), in a Hamas terror war that began when approximately 3,000 Hamas terrorists broke through Israel's security fence at the Gaza Strip border and launched a surprise attack, taking control of several Israeli towns and attacking a music festival on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, which fell on the Sabbath, Oct. 7, 2023. During the massacre the terrorists tortured, raped, shot, beheaded, and burned their victims alive, murdering entire families and leaving at least 21 children without parents. Hamas terrorists also fired at least 5,000 rockets at Israeli population centers. In response, Israel launched Operation Iron Swords to counter the Hamas terror threat. Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon joined Hamas' terror war starting from the following day, attacking Israel from the north. Occasional rocket launches and shootings continued from Lebanon throughout the war. A ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal began on Nov. 24, 2023, in which Israel agreed to release 150 terrorist prisoners, pause drone surveillance in the Gaza Strip, and allow movement between the northern and southern Gaza Strip, in return for 50 Israeli female and child hostages held by Hamas. The deal was subsequently extended with additional releases, until Hamas violated the agreement and resumed attacking on Dec. 1, 2023.3.