PA’s ruling party continues to celebrate and justify October 7
Senior officials of PA’s ruling party:
- “[Oct. 7] will be studied in the universities... because the owners of the right (i.e., the Palestinians) held onto their homeland (i.e., Israeli land)”
- Terrorist murderers “are a source of pride”
- On Oct. 7, Hamas defeated “NATO, all the West’s capabilities, together with all their [Israel’s] mercenaries”
- “What happened on Oct. 7 is a response to this occupation’s crimes”
- “Hamas is part of the Palestinian social fabric” and Oct. 7 massacre was “an additional battle of heroism”
Fatah, the ruling political party of the Palestinian Authority, continues to revel in the perpetration of the October 7 massacres and to wish for similar attacks in the future.
In a television interview that he then posted to his Facebook page, a senior Fatah official, Abbas Zaki, expressed pride in the terrorists’ success as well as in the popular support and actions by the Palestinians following the attacks. He hailed the massacres as something that will be studied in universities and he described terrorist prisoners, including those who perpetrated heinous attacks prior to October 7, as “precious treasure.” He also called for ongoing “resistance in all its various forms” besides diplomatic and political efforts.
Furthermore, it is worth noting that the PA likes to present itself as a victim of not only Israel but of the entire Western world. Zaki expresses this with the claim that the October 7 attack overcame NATO forces and “all the West’s capabilities.” He defined Israel merely as a mercenary.
Fatah Central Committee member Abbas Zaki:
Posted text: “Fatah Central Committee member and [Fatah] General Commissioner for Arab and China Relations Abbas Zaki was interviewed on the [TV] channel Palestine Today… He noted that there must be an integration of Palestinian diplomatic and political activity at various international sites – especially at the UN Security Council, the UN Human Rights Council, and the UN General Assembly – and resistance in all its various forms (i.e., Palestinian term that also refers to the use of violence and terror).”
Video: “People are surprised given the mighty [Palestinian] resolve and how the entire NATO treaty, all the West’s capabilities, together with all their [Israel’s] mercenaries and collaborators, were unable to silence the [resistance’s] fighters’ rifles and rockets… ‘The Al-Aqsa Flood’ [Oct. 7 attack] will be studied in the universities and echoed widely, because the owners of the right (i.e., the Palestinians) held onto their homeland (i.e., Israeli land) and succeeded in defeating every kind of tyrannical party or alliance… They are a source of pride. If [Ahmad] Sa’adat, Marwan [Barghouti], and Nael [Barghouti] (i.e., all terrorist prisoners) will be released, if all these prisoners… if they will be released, they are a precious treasure. It is enough that we succeeded in releasing them from the enemy’s claws.”
[Fatah Central Committee member Abbas Zaki, Facebook page, June 2, 2024]
In addition, Jibril Rajoub, who is the Fatah Central Committee Secretary, asserted that the October 7 attacks were a legitimate response to Israeli policies:
“Our conflict with this occupation (i.e., Israel) has been open since 1948 and until now…Our behavior in all the circles and all platforms is based on the fact that what happened on Oct. 7 is a response to this occupation’s crimes…”
[Fatah Central Committee Secretary Jibril Rajoub, Facebook page, June 2, 2024]
Since the attacks of October 7, Rajoub has been praising the Hamas operation. He has been relentless in calling it a war of defense against Israel’s creation in 1948, and even a “battle of heroism.” He also refused to distance the PA from Hamas and described Hamas as “part of the Palestinian social fabric”:
“[Rajoub] added that Fatah thinks that ‘Hamas is part of the Palestinian social fabric.’ [He] said that ‘the Al-Aqsa Flood’ operation and the Palestinian resistance’s attack on Oct. 7, which Hamas’ military wing, the Martyr Izz A-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, launched against the occupation’s settlements is ‘an additional battle of heroism and a war of defense in the 75-year history of the Palestinian resistance.’”
[Wattan, independent Palestinian news agency, Dec. 22, 2023]
Fatah Central Committee Secretary Jibril Rajoub: “What happened on Oct. 7 is part of a war of defense that the Palestinian people is waging against this occupation (i.e., Israel) in response to the Israeli crimes that are a continuation of the same crimes that are 76 years old today, which is the age of this occupation, against all of Palestine and the Palestinians.”
[Fatah Central Committee Secretary Jibril Rajoub, Facebook page,
Jan. 17, 2024]
Fatah Central Committee Secretary Jibril Rajoub: “What happened in the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7 is part of a war of defense that the Palestinian people carried out…”
[Fatah Central Committee Secretary Jibril Rajoub, Facebook page,
Dec. 28, 2023]
After the October 7 massacre, the US pressured the Palestinian Authority to condemn the Hamas atrocities, but the PA refused. By now, Palestinian Media Watch has reported so many PA and Fatah statements defending, justifying, and celebrating October 7 that it is clear that the PA’s refusal to condemn was not merely for public relations purposes. Rather, the PA genuinely supported and still supports the atrocities. It is no surprise that when Palestinians were asked about whether October 7 and the ongoing events made them feel pride, 98% of Palestinians answered “yes” [source: Arab World for Research and Development (AWRAD)]. With both Hamas and Fatah seeing the massacre, rapes, torture, hostage-taking, and all the other atrocities as heroic, there is no reason to expect the entire Palestinian population who were raised on PA/Fatah/Hamas ideologies to see things any differently.
The following are longer excerpts of statements cited above:
Fatah Central Committee Secretary Jibril Rajoub: “Our conflict with this occupation (i.e., Israel) has been open since 1948 and until now…
Our behavior in all the circles and all platforms is based on the fact that what happened on Oct. 7, [2023] (i.e., Hamas’ invasion and massacre) is a response to this occupation’s crimes, and that the security of the region and even the security of the Israelis will not be achieved unless they will recognize our right to independent recognition and to establish our independent state, and then we will live in security, peace, and freedom…
Some of the European states are behaving according to the Holocaust complex. They are the ones who carried out [the Holocaust], and we need to pay the price?”
[Fatah Central Committee Secretary Jibril Rajoub, Facebook page, June 2, 2024]
Headline: “Rajoub: ‘The Al-Aqsa Flood’ is a battle of heroism, Hamas is part of the Palestinian social fabric”
“Fatah Movement Central Committee Secretary Jibril Rajoub called on Turkey to mediate in the reconciliation talks with the Hamas Movement…
During his latest visit to Istanbul a few days ago, Rajoub told the Turkish paper Yeni Şafak that Ankara needs to mediate between Hamas and Fatah to strengthen the Palestinian political unity…
Rajoub also announced that he asked the senior Turkish officials ‘to encourage our brothers in Hamas to reexamine the situation from a political perspective,’ and added that Fatah thinks that ‘Hamas is part of the Palestinian social fabric.’
Rajoub said that ‘the Al-Aqsa Flood’ operation (Hamas' name for its terror war against Israel; see note below -Ed.) and the Palestinian resistance’s attack on Oct. 7 [2023] (i.e., Hamas’ invasion and massacre to launch its terror war), which Hamas’ military wing, the Martyr Izz A-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, launched against the occupation’s settlements (sic., towns in sovereign Israel), is ‘an additional battle of heroism and a war of defense in the 75-year history of the Palestinian resistance.’
He added that the Palestinians need to make collective decisions through joint support for the resistance, and that it is necessary ‘to convince the International Criminal Court (ICC), the UN, and the entire world that the Palestinian state exists.’ He told the Turkish paper that ‘this cannot happen without national unity.’”
[Wattan, independent Palestinian news agency, Dec. 22, 2023]
Fatah Central Committee Secretary Jibril Rajoub: “What happened on Oct. 7 [2023] (i.e., Hamas’ invasion and massacre) is part of a war of defense that the Palestinian people is waging against this occupation (i.e., Israel), in response to the Israeli crimes that are a continuation of the same crimes that are 76 years old today, which is the age of this occupation, against all of Palestine and the Palestinians.”
[Fatah Central Committee Secretary Jibril Rajoub, Facebook page,
Jan. 17, 2024]
Fatah Central Committee Secretary Jibril Rajoub: “What happened on Oct. 7 [2023] (i.e., Hamas’ invasion and massacre) was a Palestinian national cry to this world that is ignoring our cause and giving support and aid to this unilateral [Israeli] aggression against us, against our cause, and against the international bodies.… What happened in the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7 is part of a war of defense that the Palestinian people carried out… What happened on Oct. 7 was a cry. We love life, we want to live, and we want to be rid of the occupation.”
[Fatah Central Committee Secretary Jibril Rajoub, Facebook page,
Dec. 28, 2023]
Hamas war on Israel October 2023