PA celebrates Abu Jihad's terror and killing of civilians
PA celebrates Abu Jihad's terror
Six sporting events named after the arch-terrorist
PA TV and PA official news agency WAFA
venerate Abu Jihad's 125 killings
PA TV broadcast of Abu Jihad speaking in the 1960s and 1970s:
"On one street, for example, we will hold 500 people [hostage]... at any moment, he can blow up everyone; blow up their building, or the whole thing, no matter how many people are there... We want to turn the Tel Aviv day black. We want to turn the Tel Aviv day into destruction, Allah willing. We will turn the Tel Aviv day so it will be remembered in the history of Tel Aviv as black Saturday, black Sunday. Tel Aviv will be closed that whole day with blood and destruction." [PA TV (Fatah), April 16, 2012]
by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik
During the week of the anniversary of the death of PLO arch-terrorist Abu Jihad, the Palestinian Authority held events and broadcast TV programs celebrating him and his terror attacks. One of the striking components of the Abu Jihad festivities was the presentation of the 125 Israeli civilians and soldiers killed in terror attacks he planned and directed, as a positive achievement. Six sporting events were also held in his honor.
WAFA, the official PA news agency, glorified his killing of Israelis and his attacks on civilian targets in an article that also appeared in the official PA daily, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida:
"Abu Jihad was killed by the Israeli Mossad in Tunisia on April 16, 1988... and was crowned the Prince of the Martyrs of Palestine... Among the military operations planned by Abu Jihad: the explosion at the Zohar reservoir in 1955; the operation to blow up the Israeli National Water Carrier in 1965; the operation at the Savoy Hotel in Tel Aviv, which killed 10 Israelis, in 1975; the blowing up of a truck bomb in Jerusalem in 1975; the killing of Albert Levi, the senior sapper, and his assistant, in Nablus in 1976; the Dalal Mughrabi operation (i.e., bus hijacking), in which more than 37 Israelis were killed, in 1978; the shelling of the Eilat Port in 1979; the Katyusha fire on the northern settlements [in Israel] in 1981..." (See full listing below).
[WAFA and Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 16, 2012]
WAFA lauded Abu Jihad for attacking numerous civilian targets and depicts the killing of civilians and soldiers as positive accomplishments. Because of his successful record of terror, the anniversary of Abu Jihad's death is celebrated.Sporting events portraying him as a hero and role model for youth were held throughout the anniversary period, as reported in the official PA daily:
"The anniversary of the Martyrdom-death of our people's legendary leader, Khalil Al-Wazir, Abu Jihad, is approaching, and in its honor the sports organizations in Palestine are organizing many tournaments in diverse branches of sports... the knights of the Ansar Al-Quds club have commemorated this anniversary every year, and continue to do so. This year they will be holding their 18th tournament."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 12, 2012]
Other sporting events in his name, included:
"Abu Jihad table-tennis championship reaches the quarter-finals."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 16, 2012]
"Veterans of Tulkarem prepare for the 'Abu Jihad' Tournament."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 21, 2012]
"The Palestinian Judo Association held the Martyr Abu Jihad judo tournament on the anniversary of the death of commander Khalil Al-Wazir - 'Abu Jihad'... Ziyad Abu Sbih delivered a moving address in which he reviewed the life of Martyr Abu Jihad and his national achievements. He told the children and youth about the Martyr's biography."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 24, 2012]
"Sponsored by the Palestinian Investment Fund - 'The Prince of Martyrs Abu Jihad' Tournament draw will take place today at the 'Al-Ansar club ."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 22, 2012]
"The Boxing Association has announced the launch of the Third Palestine Tournament for Men and Boys. The association has named [the tournament] 'the Martyr (Shahid) Khalil Al-Wazir, Abu Jihad, Tournament.'"
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 27, 2012]
The period was marked with events. For example:
"Marking the anniversary of the Martyrdom-death of Abu Jihad at the Open University in Bethlehem..."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 22, 2012]
"Martyr (Shahid) Abu Jihad School names the winner of the Ya'bad marathon..."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 7, 2012]
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| The PA TV documentary on Abu Jihad included this image of a bus that was destroyed in one of Abu Jihad's attacks |
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| The second PA TV film on Abu Jihad glorified terrorist Dalal Mughrabi, who participated in the bus hijacking and killing of 37 civilians, that was planned by Abu Jihad |
The following are texts from the documentary broadcast on PA TV. The film was produced in 2010 under the auspices and supervision of Fatah MP Ashraf Jum'a. It opens with a note that the film contains footage of Abu Jihad making "final arrangements for self-sacrificing operations in occupied Palestine." The PA term "operations in occupied Palestine" refers to terror attacks in Israel. Parts of the documentary film were broadcast on April 16 , the day of the celebrations of his "Martyrdom" death and other parts were broadcast earlier on PA TV in January 2012. Another film honoring him was broadcast on the same day - April 16, 2012.
The following is the video and transcript of the first Abu Jihad film:
Abu Jihad: "After we strike the [Israeli] headquarters, Allah willing, we will close off the streets [of Tel Aviv]. On one street, for example, we will hold 500 people [hostage]. 500 people at once. Can anyone bargain over them? No one, without exception, is allowed to go there unless he sets up the fuse and the explosives. At any moment, he can blow up everyone. Blow up their building, or the whole thing, no matter how many people are there. Our dagger will be a poisoned dagger in our enemy's heart, and we will take down as many as possible. We want to land on enemy territory (Israel) and to be like a single fortress. When we get there, Allah willing, we will begin to fire, to fire on our enemy. We will dig in his throat and heart with the massacres that we spoke about. We want to turn the Tel Aviv day black. We want to turn the Tel Aviv day into destruction, Allah willing. We will turn the Tel Aviv day so it will be remembered in the history of Tel Aviv as black Saturday, black Sunday. Tel Aviv will be closed that whole day with blood and destruction."
Narrator: "It occurred to Abu Jihad to publish a Fatah journal named The Call of Life - Palestine. The first issue, published in October 1959, called for an armed revolution to uproot the Zionist entity. [Abu Jihad] was the mastermind of the armed struggle against Israel. He is a symbol of Palestinian armed struggle. Abu Jihad fell as a Martyr, and symbolized the generation of the fighting commanders who adopted the path of resistance as the first and last solution for the nation's cause. He was known as a tough fighter and an extraordinary commander who was always in a state of war and never lost his way."
[PA TV (Fatah), April 16, 2012]
Click to view
The following is the video and transcript of the second Abu Jihad film also broadcast on April 16:
Narrator: "The Palestinian revolution was at its peak, and many times Fatah carried out 60 special operations a day. Among the leading operations of the Prince of Martyrs (Abu Jihad): the explosion of the Zohar reservoir in 1955, the explosion of the Israeli National Water Carrier in 1965, the 1975 Savoy Hotel operation in Tel Aviv, in which 10 Israelis were killed, the Dalal Mughrabi operation in 1978, in which more than 37 Israelis were killed, the shelling of the Eilat Port in 1979, and the Dimona Reactor operation in 1988 (bus hijacking and killing of 3 civilians), which was the principle reason for his assassination on April 16, 1988."
[PA TV (Fatah), April 16, 2012]
Click to view
During the anniversary week, the Secretary General of the Mahmoud Abbas' office praised Abu Jihad:
"Secretary General of the Presidential Office and member of the Fatah Central Committee, Al-Tayeb Abd Al-Rahim, emphasized that the Martyr Abu Jihad left behind him a clear stamp and heritage in the journey of the Palestinian struggle... Abd Al-Rahim said: 'On days like these we recall one of the founding members and leaders who risked their lives and fought quietly, without making a show and without the media, but they created men who brought about victories, who brought about acts of heroism... Abu Jihad will remain in our hearts and in the pulse in our veins. He will never die among us; rather, he will be renewed with every young boy, with every young girl... When Abu Jihad died as a Martyr, we felt - I personally and all who knew him - that we had lost not only a symbol, but a father, a brother, a teacher and ideal; a model in every way."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 17, 2012]
The following is the full text of the article by WAFA, the official PA news agency, glorifying Abu Jihad for killing Israeli civilians, that was also published in the official PA daily:
"Abu Jihad was killed by the Israeli Mossad in Tunisia on April 16, 1988... and was crowned the Prince of the Martyrs of Palestine... Among the military operations planned by Abu Jihad: the explosion at the Zohar reservoir in 1955; the operation to blow up the Israeli National Water Carrier in 1965; the operation at the Savoy Hotel in Tel Aviv, which killed 10 Israelis, in 1975; the blowing up of a truck bomb in Jerusalem in 1975; the killing of Albert Levi, the senior sapper, and his assistant, in Nablus in 1976; the Dalal Mughrabi operation, in which more than 37 Israelis were killed, in 1978; the shelling of the Eilat Port in 1979; the Katyusha fire on the northern settlements [in Israel] in 1981 and the capture of 8 Israeli soldiers in Lebanon, and their exchange for 5,000 Lebanese and Palestinian prisoners and 100 of the detainees from occupied territory in 1982. He planned the infiltration and bombing of the headquarters of the Israeli military governor in Tyre, leading to the deaths of 76 officers and soldiers, including 12 senior officers, in 1982; he led the war of attrition during the years 1982-1984 in southern Lebanon, and planned the Dimona Reactor operation in 1988, which was the principle reason for his assassination."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 16, 2012]