Palestinian terrorists of the 60s - Palestinian heroes of today

by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

A man who attacked an Israeli plane in 1968 and a woman who placed a bomb in a movie theater in Jerusalem in 1967 are today's Palestinian heroes according to the Palestinian Authority and Fatah.
 

In 1968, PFLP terrorist Mahmoud Muhammad Issa Al-Naarani carried out an attack on an Israeli El-Al airplane at the airport in Athens with an accomplice. One passenger was killed and a stewardess seriously wounded. When terrorist Al-Naarani recently died, Fatah posted an obituary on its Facebook page, calling him a "hero":

"The passing of Mahmoud Muhammad Issa Al-Naarani

Hero of the heroic Athens operation

Leader of the attack on an Israeli airplane in 1968, in which an Israeli officer was killed.  

He [Al-Naarani] was sentenced to 17 years in prison by a Greek court in 1970, but was released as part of a hostage exchange, and arrived in Canada in February 1987." 

[Facebook, "Fatah - The Main Page," Feb. 24, 2015]

Similarly, official PA TV recently honored Fatima Barnawi as "a role model and example and a pioneer of sacrifice." Barnawi placed a bomb in a movie theater in Jerusalem in 1967 that failed to explode. She was sentenced to life imprisonment but was released in 1977 after serving 10 years. In February, she was honored in Egypt. PA TV broadcast from the event, referring to Barnawi as "an honor to the world's female fighters" and "an honor for the [Palestinian] cause... a positive symbol of the Palestinian woman."

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The glorification of these two terrorists and of many others, as documented by Palestinian Media Watch, illustrates the PA's long-standing policy of praising terrorists for their crimes and portraying them as role models.

The following is a longer excerpt of PA TV's broadcast about Barnawi, who attempted to place a bomb in a movie theater:

PA TV news reader: "In Cairo, the Council of Egyptian and Palestinian Women in cooperation with the Union of Palestinian Women honored Fatima Barnawi, Fatah's first female prisoner in the occupation's prisons."

PA TV narrator: "[She is] an honor to the world's female fighters and proof that the Palestinian woman is always a role model and example and a pioneer of sacrifice. She is the Al-Khansa of our time (i.e., 7th cent. poet who celebrated her 4 sons' deaths in battle)..."

PA TV reporter: "More than honoring the Palestinian fighter this is an honor for the [Palestinian] cause. Fatima Barnawi became a positive symbol of the Palestinian woman. She dedicated her life and sacrificed her youth to see her land liberated and no doubt she will, even if it takes a long time."

[Official PA TV, Feb. 15, 2015]

Fatima Barnawi placed a bomb in a movie theater in Jerusalem in 1967 in an attempt to blow it up. The bomb failed to explode. She was sentenced to life imprisonment, but was released in 1977 after serving 10 years. 

Al-Khansa - an Arab woman and poet from the earliest period of Islam (7th century) famous and honored in Islamic tradition for sending her four sons to battle and rejoicing when they all died as Martyrs. She has been lauded by the PA and often presented as a role model for mothers.