by Itamar Marcus and Maurice Hirsch, Adv.
In three posts on its official Facebook page, the Palestinian Authority’s leading Fatah faction, headed by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, hurried to endorse and praise the terrorist and his shooting attack carried out Saturday night in Jerusalem.
But more than that, Fatah also encouraged additional attacks, urging Palestinians to “save your bullets and use them against the occupation (i.e., Israel)” on its August 14, 2022 post on the official Fatah Facebook page.
Posted text: “Praise to the one whose rifle only speaks against his enemy. Long live our people’s unity and long live the free hero”
Posted text: “Praise to the rifle muzzles, our people will fight the occupation with all kinds of resistance.”
Posted text: “Save your bullets and use them against the occupation, only the occupation!!”
Terrorist Amir Sidawi, who later turned himself in to Israeli Police, wounded eight people including a 35-year-old pregnant woman who was seriously injured. She underwent an emergency Cesarean section delivery, and both she and the baby are in critical condition at the time of this writing.
US Ambassador Tom Nides tweeted that he was “deeply saddened to confirm that Americans were injured” in the attack. Two hours earlier, he had condemned the attack.
Strongly condemn the terrorist attack outside the Old City of Jerusalem. I am praying for a quick recovery for all of the innocent victims.
— Ambassador Tom Nides (@USAmbIsrael) August 14, 2022
But the ambassador has said nothing about praise for the attack from the leading Palestinian Authority faction, headed by the leader with whom Israel is expected to negotiate for peace.
Such condemnation would be expected, since five US citizens were among the wounded, and since the US supports and is in close contact with both Fatah and Abbas.
Indeed, the US funds the Fatah faction that celebrated the injuries of the Americans via the US foreign aid to the Palestinian Authority.
The US silence regarding Fatah’s support for terror can only encourage Fatah to continue supporting and encouraging terror.
The above Facebook posts are in violation of the Israeli anti-terror law and it’s time that the Fatah leaders responsible, as well as the Facebook officials based in Israel, are investigated by police for terror promotion.
Following a complaint by Palestinian Media Watch, the Israeli Police opened a criminal investigation against Facebook Israel for terror incitement but as yet no results have been published. PMW will be sending additional complaints to the police.
Several other terror organizations also expressed praise and support for the shooting attack.
According to the Bethlehem-based Ma’an news agency, Hamas called it “heroic and brave,” in an August 14 article. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) “praised the operation and said that it ‘proves anew that our people’s resistance is continuing in all forms and throughout the occupied Palestinian land.’ The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) emphasized that the popular resistance in all its forms continues” and that “the occupation will not be able to extinguish its fire.”
Terror-supporting Fatah is also the dominant member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The PFLP and the DFLP are also PLO members.
While these groups praise and glorify terror attacks, including those in which US citizens are injured, PA leader Mahmoud Abbas is petitioning US President Biden to cancel the US designation of the PLO as a terror organization.
Instead of hearing demands that the US whitewash terror, the US administration should make it clear that before it will even consider Abbas’s request, the PLO and all its members must desist from their involvement in terror, desist from terror promotion and desist from terror glorification.
The terms “peaceful uprising/resistance,” and “popular uprising/resistance” are used by PA leaders at times to refer to peaceful protest and at times to refer to deadly terror attacks and terror waves.
For example, Mahmoud Abbas defined as “peaceful popular” the murderous terror during the 2015-2016 terror wave (“The Knife Intifada”), in which 40 people were killed (36 Israelis, 1 Palestinian, 2 Americans and 1 Eritrean) and hundreds wounded in stabbings, shootings, and car ramming attacks.
“We want peaceful popular uprising, and that’s what this is,” Abbas said, at a time by which 14 Israelis had already been murdered.
