Suicide bombings are “free collective death rides for the Zionists,” on Palestinian social media

Palestinian social media:

Suicide bombings are

"free collective death rides for the Zionists"

Bomb-builder Ayyash

"embarrassed the enemy..."

Palestinians celebrate anniversary

of "the engineer" of suicide bombings

by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

Last month was the anniversary of the death of Hamas bomb-builder Yahya Ayyash - "the engineer" - who launched the strategy of mass killings of Israelis in suicide bombings on buses, in malls and cafes. Having built bombs that killed dozens of Israelis and injured hundreds, he was killed by Israel on Jan. 5, 1996 by a bomb that was planted in his cell phone and detonated in his hand. Like all Palestinian terrorists who have succeeded in murdering Israelis, Ayyash is seen as a hero, and years ago the PA named a street in Jenin and a town square in Ramallah after him, as documented in Palestinian Media Watch's report on terrorists as role models.

His sustained status as a role model was evident this past month on social media, where individual posts praised him, according to a report by the independent Palestinian news agency Donia Al-Watan.

One post hailed him as:

"The first to arrange free collective death ridesfor the Zionists"

[Donia Al-Watan (independent Palestinian news agency), Jan. 5, 2016]

Another post asked rhetorically:

"Who does not know [Hamas'] Al-Qassam Brigades commander?

Who does not know the breeder of mines (i.e., the builder of bombs)?

Who does not know the engineer Yahya Ayyash?

#Ayyash_is_coming."

And yet another wished the bomb-maker well in "Paradise" and praised the fact that he "embarrassed" Israel with his attacks:

"He embarrassed the enemy with his actions, and was the first figure to pave the way to liberation and the arrival in Jerusalem. May his soul rest in Paradise, and may his students endure and be victorious"

A new hashtag was apparently invented in honor of the Hamas terrorist's anniversary: "#Ayyash_is_coming," Donia Al-Watan reported, and called Ayyash "one of the most outstanding Palestinian military leaders in recent years." The news agency described how "posts telling of Yahya Ayyash and the heroic operations he carried out" were posted on social media, and explained in detail about his "contributions" to the "Palestinian cause" as a bomb-maker:

"The engineer Yahya Ayyash laid the foundations for a blow in the depths of the occupation, by finding scientific and chemical solutions for producing explosives from basic materials that can be found in the market. His name was linked to the car bombs that struck Tel Aviv and the explosions of buses that occurred there, and which led to the deaths of dozens."

The following is a longer excerpt of the article describing the praise for the terrorist on social media:

Headline: "#Ayyash_is_coming - Palestinian hashtag to mark the anniversary of the engineer Yahya Ayyash's death as a Martyr"

"More than two decades ago, the Gaza Strip parted with one of the most outstanding Palestinian military leaders in recent years, the engineer Yahya Ayyash, one of the commanders of the [Izz A-Din] Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, after the targeted assassination carried out by the Israeli security service, the Israeli Security Agency.

Palestinian activists in the social media networks Facebook and Twitter circulated posts telling of Yahya Ayyash and the heroic operations he carried out against the Israeli occupation's soldiers and extremist settlers, who committed crimes against the Palestinian people. The heroic acts, courage, and explosions of buses were the prominent mark of these posts, circulated by social media activists alongside the hashtags #Yahya_Ayyash and #Ayyash_is_coming, which were very common among those tweeting and writing the posts.

The photographer and activist Abd Al-Hakim Abu Rayyash wrote on his Facebook page: 'Jan. 5, 2016 - history will remember that the engineer Martyr (Shahid) #Yahya_Ayyash was the first to arrange free collective death ridesfor the Zionists #Ayyash_the_beginning, #Ayyash_is_coming.'

The writer Lama Khater from the West Bank wrote on her Facebook page: 'My belief that #Ayyash_is_coming is not excessive optimism, because the conflict's environment is the only one causing exceptional changes, as opposed to the environment of stagnation and retreat. Therefore, the Zionists and their collaborators are working to encircle this intifada and eliminate it, as they are concerned about the future results of its development.'

Activist Israa Al-Arir said that Yahya Ayyash was an important figure in the history of the resistance and conflict with the Israeli occupation, through a series of operations against the occupation carried out by him and under his supervision.

Al-Arir shared a Tweet (sic., post) on her [Facebook] page, saying: 'He embarrassed the enemy with his actions, and was the first figure to pave the way to liberation and the arrival in Jerusalem. May his soul rest in Paradise, and may his students endure and be victorious #Ayyash_is_coming.'

The activist Adham Abu Salmiya wrote on his [Facebook] page: 'The anniversary of the engineer's death as a Martyr looks different this year, as it coincides with the revolution of the sons of Ayyash and his comrades, together with the young people of the West Bank who are saying to the Zionists on #Dizengoff_through_the_sound_of_bullets #Ayyash_is_coming, Allah willing.'

...

The engineer Yahya Ayyash laid the foundations for a blow in the depths of the occupation, by finding scientific and chemical solutions for producing explosives from basic materials that can be found in the market. His name was linked to the car bombs that have struck Tel Aviv and the explosions of buses that occurred there, and which led to the deaths of dozens.

Noha Taha wrote on her Facebook page: 'Who does not know the [Izz A-Din] Al-Qassam Brigades commander? Who does not know the breeder of mines (i.e., the builder of bombs)? Who does not know the engineer Yahya Ayyash?

#Ayyash_is_coming.'"

[Donia Al-Watan (independent Palestinian news agency), Jan. 5, 2016]