Fatah glorifies arch-terrorist who planned killings of 125
Fatah official about arch-terrorist who planned killings of 125:
"Allah created [Abu Jihad] just to confront this enemy...
He had a talent for persuading young people to die as Martyrs"
by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik
"Allah created [Abu Jihad] just to confront this enemy...
He had a talent for persuading young people to die as Martyrs"
by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik
Continuing the Palestinian Authority and Fatah policy of glorifying murderous terrorists, Fatah Central Committee Member Abbas Zaki last month praised arch-terrorist Abu Jihad as someone who "Allah created just to confront this enemy" - Israel. On Fatah-run Awdah TV, Zaki extolled Abu Jihad who was behind attacks that killed at least 125 Israelis, describing several of them as "prominent." Zaki also praised Abu Jihad's "talent for persuading young people to die as Martyrs." This is also in line with PA and Fatah policy, and was recently reiterated by Fatah and Fatah's youth movement.
Fatah Central Committee Member Abbas Zaki: "[Abu Jihad] was a substantial threat to Israel, starting with the Savoy operation (i.e., terror attack, Savoy hotel Tel Aviv, 11 killed) to the Dalal Mughrabi operation (i.e., bus hijacking, 37 killed). I am talking about the large-scale operations, the prominent ones and not the small ones: Dalal Mughrabi (i.e., bus hijacking 37 killed), Dimona (i.e., attack on bus, 3 killed) and the attempt to capture the [Israeli] Ministry of Defense. That is why this man, who it seems Allah created just to confront this enemy, dedicated his time to serious activity. Likewise, he had a talent for persuading young people to die as Martyrs and to always be prepared to sacrifice, give and be patient... Everyone should know that this region needs pioneers [on] the path of brother Abu Jihad."
[Fatah-run Awdah TV, April 19, 2015]
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Palestinian Media Watch has documented that Zaki previously has expressed his support for violence, stating that Palestinians have been granted permission to use "all means of struggle" against Israel by the international community, citing UN resolution 3236:
Fatah Central Committee member Abbas Zaki: "We have [UN] Resolution 3236 that says that the Palestinian has the right to use any means of struggle, including armed struggle. That's an international resolution."
[Official PA TV, Jan. 1, 2013]
PA leaders and officials often legitimize Palestinian violence by quoting UN resolution 3236, which "recognizes the right of the Palestinian people to regain its rights by all means." The PA interprets "all means" as including violence against civilians, but has chosen to ignore the continuation of the resolution which states that the use of "all means" should be "in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations..." The UN Charter prohibits targeting civilians, even in war. Chapter 1, Article 1, opens by saying that the "international disputes" should be resolved "by peaceful means."
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Zaki reiterated this opinion in January 2015, stating that "it is the right of the Palestinian people to use all forms of resistance, including armed struggle," the official PA daily reported. [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Jan. 5, 2015]
The following is a longer excerpt of the report on Zaki's statement in January 2015, and descriptions of the attacks Abu Jihad planned, which Zaki glorified:
Headline: "Jericho Marks 50th anniversary of the launch of the Palestinian revolution"
"The masses of the Jericho and [Jordan] Valley district marked the 50th anniversary of the launch of the Palestinian revolution with a mass celebration yesterday [Jan. 4, 2014] at the residence of the District Governor of the Jericho and [Jordan] Valley district...
Fatah Central Committee Member Abbas Zaki... emphasized that it is the right of the Palestinian people to use all forms of resistance, including armed struggle. [He added that] at this difficult and sensitive stage, we have succeeded, through our popular resistance and our diplomacy, in isolating Israel, which has become a liability for its allies."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Jan. 5, 2015]
Abu Jihad (Khalil Al-Wazir) - was a founder of Fatah and deputy to Yasser Arafat. He headed the PLO terror organization's military wing and also planned many deadly Fatah terror attacks. These attacks, which killed a total of 125 Israelis, included the most lethal in Israeli history - the hijacking of a bus and killing of 37 civilians, 12 of them children.
Savoy terror attack - In March 1975, eight terrorists traveled by boat from Lebanon to a Tel Aviv beach. They took over the Savoy Hotel and took guests as hostages. The next morning, Israeli forces attacked and killed seven of the terrorists. Eight hostages and three soldiers were killed by the terrorists during the attack.
Mothers' Bus attack - On March 7, 1988, three Fatah terrorists hijacked a bus carrying workers to the Negev Nuclear Research Center in Dimona, and murdered 3 civilians - Miriam Ben-Yair, Rina Shiratky and Victor Ram. The attack is referred to as the Mothers' Bus attack because many of the passengers were working mothers. The terrorists were all killed by an Israel Police counter-terrorism unit that stormed the bus.
Coastal Road Massacre - In March 1978, a group of Fatah terrorists from Lebanon hijacked a bus on Israel's Coastal Highway. Confronted by the Israeli army, the terrorists killed many of the passengers on the bus, in total 37 civilians, 12 of them children, and wounded more than 70. The attack is known in Israel as the Coastal Road Massacre.