Palestinian Media Watch reported that the deal that was reached is “a precedent for future hostage-taking and violence—referred to as “brave resistance.””
By Rachel Avraham
After a hostage deal was declared which is set to begin today, of which phase one will lead to the release of 33 hostages in exchange for over 1,000 Palestinian terrorists, including at least 250 serving life sentences and 400 others sentenced to 20 year prison sentences, Palestinian Media Watch reported that the deal that was reached is “a precedent for future hostage-taking and violence—referred to as “brave resistance.” The Palestinian goal is to eventually obtain the release of all their terrorist murderers of men, women, and children. They view these murderers as heroes.”
Speaking on PA TV, Tunisian journalist Murad Alalalah stated, “This stage will lead to results, which may not be the results we had hoped for, but they are intermediate results that we are building on. Just as there were prisoner exchange deals in the past, this mighty people and its brave resistance will make similar efforts in the future.”
Palestinian Media Watch proclaimed this is not the first time that the Palestinian outlet has engaged in threatening rhetoric related to October 7. Senior Palestinian leader Jibril Rajoub warned Israel on PA TV last year that the Palestinians see the exchange of hostages for terrorist prisoners as a precedent: “I say to all relevant parties: a Palestinian remaining a prisoner will keep this wound open and will serve as justification for future efforts to release this prisoner.” PA TV is an outlet controlled directly by the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority, implying that the views expressed there are also the views of Fatah, as there is no freedom of the press in the Palestinian Authority.
Rajoub has a long record of inciting against Israel. Rajoub stated on his Facebook page: “We hope that the efforts will bring about a UN resolution on stopping this aggression, an Israeli withdrawal, and carrying out a prisoner exchange of everyone for everyone (i.e., hostages for terrorists). I say to all relevant parties: a Palestinian remaining a prisoner will keep this wound open and will serve as justification for future efforts to release this prisoner. This will be an opportunity, and the international community must adopt this position – closing the issue of imprisonment; closing the issue of abductions (i.e., arrest of terrorists), closing the issue of the massacre being committed in Israeli prisons through living conditions that are unprecedented anywhere but the Nazi camps of the 1940s and its barbaric and fascist treatment, etc. This must end through the return of their captives and the release of our captives, as a prelude to forcing the establishment of the Palestinian state.”
Palestinian Media Watch reported that Rajoub also told Al Majalla, a Saudi news outlet, “Regarding the struggle, as a people under occupation we have a right to carry out all forms of struggle and resistance (i.e., also refers to use of violence and terror). However, considering this international consensus that provides us support, when all that is currently left is achieving Palestinian national unity, after all, it is our right to carry out all forms of resistance, including armed resistance, as this is international law and UN law (sic., Palestinian terror is not legal according to international law). Extensive popular resistance needs to be our strategic choice.”
Palestinian Media Watch stressed “Rajoub’s perverse attempt to equate terrorists and hostages should come as no surprise considering his previous statements saying that Palestinian murderers who were sentenced to prison after trial were in fact hostages: “Everyone is speaking about Israeli hostages. We have thousands of Palestinian hostages (sic., imprisoned terrorists) …Today there is an opportunity for the world – instead of crying about the Israeli “hostages” as the Israelis call them – to look at the Palestinian prisoners. There are prisoners who have been imprisoned since 1985, no fewer than 15,000 hostages, around 5,000 before and 10,000 after Oct. 7 [2023] (i.e., Hamas’ massacre and terror war), 2,500-3,000 from the Gaza Strip, and 7,000 from the West Bank.”
Similarly, Rajoub noted on his Facebook page: “[October 7] was part of a defensive war by the Palestinians. This will certainly lead to explosions, and the next and more violent explosion will be in the West Bank… The explosion that took place on Oct. 7 is a natural response to this [Israeli] terror. Those who are in power in Israel are an example of neo-Nazis… Hamas was, still is, and will remain part of the Palestinian political and national fabric and part of the struggle. This battle (i.e., Oct. 7 war) will be an opening point for achieving Palestinian national unity… Our goal is the establishment of the independent Palestinian state that is fully sovereign over all the Palestinian territories.”
Palestinian Media Watch noted, “As Head of the PLO Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, Chairman of the Palestinian Football Association, Chairman of the Palestine Olympic Committee, and Chairman of the Palestinian Scout Association (PSA) as well as Fatah Central Committee Secretary, Jibril Rajoub is a senior and active member of the Palestinian leadership. This is the same leadership that the US and much of the international community wish to consider “revitalized.” Rajoub’s explicit and implicit calls to violent action need to be made public for the world to see and understand what type of personalities remain at the helm of Palestinian leadership.”
Sadly, Rajoub is not the only leader in the Palestinian Authority to glorify the October 7 terror attacks. PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ Advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habbash stated: “If the Palestinian cause will not be justly, comprehensively, and permanently resolved, at least on the basis of international legitimacy, at least on the basis of the UN resolutions, then Oct. 7 (i.e., Hamas’ invasion and massacre in Israel) can repeat itself 100 times, and perhaps even more seriously.”
