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PA Chairman Abbas condemns Israel’s retaliation against Hezbollah as “acts of terror”

Nan Jacques Zilberdik  |
  • Despite thousands of Hezbollah rockets fired into Israel, Abbas' advisor accuses Israel and the US of unilaterally "escalating the situation to undermine the region's stability"
  • Fatah supports Hezbollah and expresses "its great appreciation for the support that [Lebanon] has given the [Palestinian] cause… despite the sacrifices it is making"
  • Fatah "promised and swore once again to continue on the path of struggle to realizethe end of the occupation (i.e., Israel)"
  • Hamas' Al-Sinwar thanks Hezbollah for joining "one of the most honorable battles," stresses importance of "jihad and resistance" against "the Zionist project"
  • Hamas' Al-Sinwar to Nasrallah: "This pure blood and the blessed convoys of Martyrs will become more decisive and stronger against the Nazi Zionist occupation"
  • Top PA/Fatah official Rajoub last month urged Hezbollah and Iran to "punish the Israeli enemy"

Ignoring the thousands of rockets and drones fired at northern Israel by the Iranian-backed Lebanese terror organization Hezbollah since the start of the 2023 Gaza war, the Palestinian Authority and its ruling party Fatah continue to express support for Hezbollah against Israel by painting Hezbollah as a victim.

Following Israel's recent pager attacks (see below), in which Hezbollah has announced that at least 38 members of the terror organization were killed, both the PA and Fatah hurried to express their support for "sister Lebanon."

PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' office "condemned" the attacks as "acts of terror," claiming they "harmed innocent civilians":

"The Palestinian [PA] presidential office again strongly condemned the acts of terror against sister Lebanon…

The presidential office emphasized that the State of Palestine and the Palestinian people stand alongside the government and people in sister Lebanon, at a time when it is being subjected to terror that harmed innocent civilians…The presidential office warned against the results of this severe escalation, which violates Lebanese sovereignty and threatens international peace and security."

[WAFA, official PA news agency, Sept. 18, 2024]

Also ignoring Hezbollah's numerous attacks on Israeli civilian areas – and murder of over 40 Israelis, including 12 children who were playing football – Abbas' advisor Mahmoud Al-Habbash accused Israel of "escalating" the situation and seeking to "undermine the region's stability" with its "aggressive operations":

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PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habbash: "The Israeli government is continuing its attempts toescalate the situation and the tension more and more. These aggressive operations that the occupation state (i.e., Israel) and the occupation army are carrying out, whether in Lebanon, in Palestine, or anywhere else, strive to create additional tension and escalation on the military and security level in order to undermine the region's stability."

[PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habbash, Facebook page,
Sept. 18, 2024]

PA Chairman Abbas' Fatah Movement also condemned Israel's "aggressive and criminal operation," stressing its continued support for Lebanon and its "great appreciation for the support" that Lebanon – i.e., terror organization Hezbollah – "has given the [Palestinian] cause":

"The Fatah Movement... condemned the aggressive and criminal operation, due to which hundreds died as Martyrs...Fatah said that it is standing alongside sister Lebanon and the Lebanese people that is dear to our hearts, and expressed its great appreciation for the support that it has given the [Palestinian] cause and the Palestinian people, despite the burden it bears and despite the sacrifices it is making... [Fatah] also promised and swore once again to continue on the path of struggle to realize freedom, return, and independence on the Palestinian land and the end of the occupation (i.e., Israel)."

[WAFA, official PA news agency, Sept. 17, 2024]

In addition to promising to "continue on the path of struggle" by committing more terror attacks, Fatah has also directly called on Hezbollah to continue attacking Israel. Recently, top PA/Fatah official Jibril Rajoub encouraged Hezbollah and Iran to "punish the Israeli enemy":

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Fatah Central Committee Secretary Jibril Rajoub: "The one who endangers regional security and world peace is this unilateral Israeli aggression against Palestine, against Syria, against Lebanon, against Iraq, against Yemen, against Iran, and against the entire world… This [Israeli] enemy only understands the language of force, and it needs to be punished… Punishing Netanyahu and a response – whether by our brothers in Hezbollah, Iran, and any other side – are a message for which [those countries] are responsible… But the military conduct must come simultaneously with a political will on everything concerning fighting the occupation and aggression – the aggression against Palestine, against the land of Syria, the Golan Heights, against Shebaa in Lebanon. We must not let it continue to behave like the neighborhood bully, and must not let it integrate in the Middle East region and normalize any relations before the fully sovereign [Palestinian] state is established."

[Fatah Central Committee Secretary Jibril Rajoub, Facebook page,
Aug. 7, 2024]

And let's not forget the one who started it all with the massacre and murder of over 1,100 Israelis and foreigners on Oct. 7, 2023: Hamas, headed by Yahya Al-Sinwar in the Gaza Strip.

Al-Sinwar is of course thrilled with Hezbollah's unwavering support for the "resistance to the Zionist project" and the "Nazi Zionist occupation." Following the assassination in Iran of Al-Sinwar's predecessor Ismail Haniyeh, chairman of Hamas' political bureau, Al-Sinwar sent a letter to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, thanking him for joining "one of the most honorable battles of the Palestinian people" – Hamas' "Al-Aqsa Flood":

Al-Sinwar: "We thank you for your solidarity that is mixed with sincere and noble feelings, which were expressed by your blessed actions in the fronts of the axis of resistance as support and participation in this battle."

[Al-Manar website (Hezbollah affiliated), Sept. 14, 2024]

Al-Sinwar emphasized his disregard for human life, stressing his appreciation of all the people who have died for his cause – "Jihad and resistance" against Israel:

"The blood of our people… this pure blood and the blessed convoys of Martyrs will become more decisive and stronger against the Nazi Zionist occupation.

We also emphasize that… the lofty principles that leader Martyr [Ismail Haniyeh] espoused will remain firm and present, …foremost among them the unity of the Palestinian people around Jihad and resistance, and also the unity of the nation, and at its core the axis of resistance to the Zionist project."

Pager attacks against Hezbollah members 2024

Hamas war on Israel October 2023

The following are longer excerpts of the statements cited above:

Headline: "Al-Sinwar to Nasrallah: The blessed convoys of Martyrs will become more decisive and stronger against the Zionist occupation"

"A letter from Hamas Movement Political Bureau Chairman brother Yahya Al-Sinwar to Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah:

His Honor Hassan Nasrallah, may Allah protect him

Secretary-General of Hezbollah in Lebanon

… We in the Islamic Resistance Movement – ‘Hamas' received with great appreciation and pride your courteous letter, congratulating and comforting over [the death of] our Martyr and your comrade on the path of Jihad and resistance, Hamas Political Bureau Chairman Jihad fighter Ismail Haniyeh ‘Abu Al-Abd,' whose death is a loss to the [Islamic] nation (assassinated with explosives planted in his room in Tehran, which was attributed to Israel, on July 31, 2024 -Ed.)…

We thank you for your solidarity that is mixed with sincere and noble feelings, which were expressed by your blessed actions in the fronts of the axis of resistance as support and participation in this battle (refers to the 2023 Gaza war; see note below -Ed.). We ask Almighty Allah to bless your efforts and protect you and your land from all evil.

Our Martyr leader [Haniyeh] ‘Abu Al-Abd,' the symbol of the nation and Palestine, ascended to Heaven in the Al-Aqsa Flood Battle (Hamas' name for its terror war against Israel -Ed.), one of the most honorable battles in the history of our Palestinian people, while following the path of the Martyr leaders. His blood and the blood of his children, grandchildren, and family mixed with [the blood of] the great sacrifices being made by our people in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the occupied Interior (i.e., Palestinian term for Israel), as proof that the blood of our leaders and Jihad fighters is no more precious than the blood of our people, and that this pure blood and the blessed convoys of Martyrs will become more decisive and stronger against the Nazi Zionist occupation.

We also emphasize that… the lofty principles that leader Martyr [Haniyeh] ‘Abu Al-Abd' espoused will remain firm and present, …foremost among them the unity of the Palestinian people around Jihad and resistance, and also the unity of the nation, and at its core the axis of resistance to the Zionist project…

Source: Hamas"

[Al-Manar website (Hezbollah affiliated), Sept. 14, 2024]

Headline: "The [PA] presidential office condemns the acts of terror against sister Lebanon"

"The Palestinian [PA] presidential office again strongly condemned the acts of terror against sister Lebanon, which inflicted dozens of Martyrs and thousands of wounded (refers to pager attacks against Hezbollah members; see note below -Ed.).

The presidential office emphasized that the State of Palestine and the Palestinian people stand alongside the government and people in sister Lebanon, at a time when it is being subjected to terror that harmed innocent civilians. It expressed sincere condolences to the Lebanese government and the relatives of the victims over this huge disaster, and wished a speedy recovery to the wounded. The presidential office warned against the results of this severe escalation, which violates Lebanese sovereignty and threatens international peace and security."

[WAFA, official PA news agency, Sept. 18, 2024]

Headline: "Fatah emphasizes that it stands alongside Lebanon and the Lebanese people"

"The Fatah Movement expressed to Lebanon its condolences and sincerest feelings of brotherhood. It condemned the aggressive and criminal operation, due to which hundreds died as Martyrs and were wounded from among the well-rooted [Lebanese] people (i.e., thousands of Hezbollah members), which historically is adopting our Palestinian people's struggle, our just cause, and our historical right to freedom, independence, and return.

In a statement this evening, Tuesday, [Sept. 17, 2024,] Fatah emphasized… that it is mobilizing all its human and medical resources to provide all possible aid to those harmed in the aggression everywhere in precious Lebanon.

It noted that [PA] President of the State of Palestine and general leader [Chairman] of Fatah Mahmoud Abbas instructed all the Palestinian health centers and medical teams in the refugee camps in Lebanon to provide the wounded with all necessary aid and treatment.

Fatah said that it is standing alongside sister Lebanon and the Lebanese people that is dear to our hearts, and expressed its great appreciation for the support that it has given the [Palestinian] cause and the Palestinian people, despite the burden it bears and despite the sacrifices it is making. It emphasized to the Lebanese brothers that harming the Lebanese body hurts the Palestinian heart and body.

Fatah expressed its sincere condolences to the families of the Martyrs, and wished a speedy recovery to the wounded. It also promised and swore once again to continue on the path of struggle to realize freedom, return, and independence on the Palestinian land and the end of the occupation (i.e., Israel)."

[WAFA, official PA news agency, Sept. 17, 2024]

Posted text: "The Palestinian National Council (i.e., the legislative body of the PLO) denounces and feels sorrow over the despicable crime that cost the lives of many of our brothers in Lebanon and also caused many wounded (refers to pager attacks against Hezbollah members; see note below -Ed.), and said that this deliberate crime will not undermine the determination of the brothers in proud Lebanon.

On my behalf and on behalf of the Palestinian National Council members, I send my deep condolences to the sister State of Lebanon and the beloved Lebanese people over this great disaster, as a result of the cruel aggression that caused the Martyrdom-death and wounding of hundreds of precious Lebanese.

Lebanon and Palestine have deep ties of brotherhood based on sacrifice, loyalty, and a shared history, as our blood has united on the paths of struggle and unity of blood against all forms of aggression and occupation. What befell Lebanon today is also our pain and our disaster.

We emphasize the instructions of [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas to mobilize all our capabilities, facilities, and health teams, whether in the refugee camps in Lebanon or outside of Lebanon, under the command of the Lebanese people and government. We also are certain that Lebanon and its people that is standing firm will continue to stand against this aggression with an unbreakable willpower, and that they will overcome the crisis and Lebanon will remain a symbol of brotherhood and loyalty. We stand alongside you with all we have, and our hearts and minds are with you in these difficult times. Glory and eternity to the righteous Martyrs.

We ask Allah for a speedy recovery for the wounded, to defend Lebanon and Palestine from all harm, and that our people will remain united against the injustice and aggression."

[Palestinian National Council Chairman Rawhi Fattouh, Facebook page,
Sept. 18, 2024]

Rawhi Fattouh

Bio on Majdal Shams massacre

Yahya Al-Sinwar

Ismail Haniyeh

Jibril Rajoub

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