Palestinian Media Watch concluded: “Fatah sees these terrorist murderers not as criminals, but as champions.”
By Rachel Avraham
In Western circles, many are calling for a revitalized Palestinian Authority to take over the Gaza Strip, claiming that Fatah is better than Hamas. However, recent social media posts made by a series of senior level Fatah officials show a different story, which is that when it comes to glorifying terrorism, Fatah is no better than Hamas. Perhaps Fatah is secular and Hamas is religious, and the two may disagree on how much Sharia law should influence the everyday life of the Palestinian people and how much Iran should be given control over Palestinian affairs. But when it comes to hating Israelis and seeking the destruction of Israel, Fatah is nothing more than Hamas in business suites, a prettier face to the same terrorism.
Palestinian Media Watch, a prominent watch dog group, recently reported that Tulkarem District Governor Abdallah Kmeil posted on his Facebook page: “[In the ceasefire deal] 296 prisoners (i.e., terrorists) who were sentenced to life [will be released] … Thousands of blessings to the prisoners’ relatives… Undoubtedly, we will accord them a heroes’ welcome, and they deserve to be greeted and we have a plan to welcome everyone. In the Tulkarem district we will greet them at Tulkarem district headquarters.”
According to the report, Senior Fatah official Tawfiq Tirawi did likewise: “[Israel] surrendered to a prisoner exchange deal due to our people’s mighty resolve… This led to the collective freedom of thousands of prisoners (i.e., terrorists), including hundreds who were give life sentences and heavy sentences, some of whom had even served more than 40 years in prison. Despite the pain, wounds, loss, and destruction, this freedom of the giants of loyalty, sacrifice, and resolve is worthy of joy, despite the great pain. These mighty released prisoners deserve blessings… The Palestinian people will not stop its struggle.”
The Fatah Commission of Information and Culture also shared on its Facebook page: “he Fatah Revolutionary Council shares in the joy of our people and the families of the prisoners who were released and blesses them. The Revolutionary Council emphasizes our people’s insistence on the freedom of all our heroic prisoners from the occupation’s (i.e., Israeli) prisons, the continuation of our national struggle through all legal means to stop the Israeli aggression.”
According to Palestinian Media Watch, “Many of the released terrorists who have murdered the largest number of Israelis have been expelled to foreign countries. But that did not stop Director of PLO Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs Qadura Fares from traveling to Egypt to honor the terrorist murderers. He smilingly posed with them for pictures, all wearing scarves featuring the PA map of “Palestine” that erases Israel:”
The PLO Prisoner Affairs website declared, “Fares explained to [French Consul General in Jerusalem] Nicolas [Kassianides] that Israel… were forced to finalize the deal to bring back the Israeli prisoners (sic., hostages), whom the Palestinian resistance factions succeeded in holding for more than 15 months, and whom the occupation regime was unable to bring back despite the war of annihilation whose price we are still paying until today…”
It continued, “Fares emphasized that the second round [of the ceasefire] after the first six weeks of the exchange process at this stage, which will take place this Saturday evening or in the early morning hours of Sunday, will be different because it will include prisoners (i.e., terrorists) who were sentenced to life imprisonment or those who have been sentenced to long-term punishment, and this will pave the way for additional rounds in which symbols and leaders of the prisoners’ movement will be released, foremost among them prisoner leader Marwan Barghouti (i.e., terrorist, orchestrated three attacks in which 5 were murdered).”
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ Advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habbash similarly concurred: “The entire Palestinian nation is experiencing mixed emotions these days. Joy for the release of the prisoners, this batch of prisoners, because every prisoner that is released from the occupation’s prisons is an achievement for us as Palestinians, as a people, as a cause, as a struggle, and as a national project.”
PA’s governor of Ramallah, Laila Ghannam, similarly declared on her Facebook page: “”Upon receiving these released heroes, Ghannam emphasized that the prisoners are symbols of the struggle and resolve of the Palestinian people in the face of the cruelty of the occupation (i.e., Israel), and added that loyalty to them is a national and moral duty that our people will never neglect… She added: ‘These prisoners who spent decades behind the bars of the occupation are a symbol of resolve and defiance, for despite their long suffering, their high morale is a message of hope to our people that freedom will arrive without a doubt.'”
Palestinian Media Watch concluded: “Fatah sees these terrorist murderers not as criminals, but as champions. Contrary to the pro-peace image it is trying to transmit, the Palestinian Authority is showing its great support for the terrorist prisoners being released in the exchange deal between Israel and Hamas.”
Following these developments, the Almagor Terror Victims Association requested that the Israeli government stop sending terrorists overseas: “Cancel the shipments of released terrorists to Turkey and Arab countries or Europe! From there, they attempt to enlist, using remote control, terrorists in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, and fund their activities against us.”
Arutz Sheva reported that Moshe Har-Melekh, whose son Shuli was killed in a terror attack, said that his son’s murderer had been released and arrived in Jordan, and from there sent a terror cell to carry out the deadly terror attack in which Malachi Rosenfeld, his son’s neighbor and friend, was killed. That terror attack left two additional people injured. Har-Melekh demanded an urgent government meeting be called, following reports that senior terrorists had been sent to Turkey.
According to the report, Almagor chair Meir Indor warned that such a policy could be dangerous: “This is a horrific mistake which began with a pathetic decision to distance them from Judea, Samaria, and the [Gaza] Strip, for the purpose of sending a message of punishment by distancing them from their families and their places of residence. But the benefit for these terrorists is immediate. The State of Israel does not manage to follow them properly, and when they do find them – it is difficult to eliminate them in a foreign country or to jail them, even when there is clear information, because of the protection of the host countries.”
Arutz Sheva reported that 230 of the terrorists who are being released will be exiled rather than allowed to return to Judea, Samaria, and Gaza due to the severity of their crimes and the likelihood of their returning to violent activity. According to the report, Israel’s security establishment fears that many will return to terrorism as has been the case with previous hostage deals such as the Shalit deal in which about half of the over 1,000 terrorists who were freed resumed terrorist activity.
