The United Nations ordered the removal of its logo and removed its support from the Dalal Mughrabi Women’s Youth Center, two days after the government of Norway revoked its own funding after learning the money was to be used to support a center to teach Palestinian Authority youth about the glory of terror against Israel.
The State of Israel immediately expressed its deep appreciation to the Government of Norway for the move.
“The United Nations disassociated itself from the Center once it learned the offensive name chosen for it and will take measures to ensure that such incidents do not take place in the future,” said a statement issued by Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
“The glorification of terrorism, or the perpetrators of heinous terrorist acts, is unacceptable under any circumstances,” the statement went on. “The UN has repeatedly called for an end to incitement to violence and hatred as they present one of the obstacles to peace.
“The United Nations support to this community ended last year and it has asked for the logo of UN Women to be removed quickly,” the statement continued.
“Furthermore, the inauguration of the Center took place after the UN’s association with it.”
The Palestinian Authority has named numerous venues, events and public sites in honor of Dalal Mughrabi, the terrorist who led a group of killers in hijacking a bus to carry out what became known as the 1978 Coastal Road Massacre. In that attack, 37 Israelis and others were slaughtered, including 12 children.
The latest tribute to Mughrabi – the Women’s Youth Center in the village of Burqa near Shechem – is intended to “focus especially on the history of the struggle of Martyr Dalal Mughrabi and on presenting it to the youth groups, and … constitutes the beginning of the launch of enrichment activities regarding the history of the Palestinian struggle,” according to a Palestinian Media Watch translation of the Ma’an news agency’s coverage of the inauguration.