Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, often touted by the left as a "partner for peace" with Israel, is continuing to glorify terrorists.
In a speech he gave last week and which was translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), Abbas praised the "martyrs" from his Fatah faction as well as those from Hamas and other terrorist organizations. Among the "martyrs" praised were former PA Chairman Yasser Arafat, and Hamas leaders and arch-terrorists Ahmad Yassin and Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rantissi, both of whom were responsible for terror attacks that killed hundreds of Israels. The two Hamas leaders were killed in targeted killings by Israel during the Oslo War, also known as the Second Intifada.
The speech aired on PA TV on January 4, 2013 and was broadcast in honor of the anniversary of the founding of the Fatah movement.
"On the Fatah anniversary, we renew the pledge to our fortunate martyrs. We pledge to continue on the path of the martyr brother Abu Ammar (former PA Chairman Yasser Arafat -ed.), and his comrades and brothers, the leaders from all the fighting factions – all the martyrs," Abbas said.
"Let me mention the martyr Abu Jihad, Khalil Al-Wazir, the martyr Abu Iyad, Salah Khalaf, the martyr Abd Al-Fattah Hamoud, the martyr Abu Ali Iyad, the martyr Abu Sabri Saydam, the martyr Abu Yousuf Al-Najjar, the martyr Kamal Adwan, the martyr Kamal Nasser, the martyr Abu Al-Waleed Saa d Sael, the martyr Faysal Al-Husseini, the martyr Abu Al-Hol, the martyr Abu Al-Mundhir, the martyr Khaled Al-Hassan, the martyr Sheik Ahmad Yassin, the martyr Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rantissi, the martyr Ismail Abu Shanab, the martyr Fathi Shiqaqi, the martyr George Habash, the martyr Omar A-Qassem, the martyr Sakhr Habash, the martyr Suleiman Al-Najjar, the martyr Bashir Al-Barghouthi, the martyr Hani Al-Hassan, the martyr Abu Ali Mustafa, the martyr Abu Al-Abbas, the martyr Samir Ghosheh, and today’s martyr, the martyr of the Intifada, Abu Al-Abd Khattab. Allah’s mercy upon them all.
"In addition, there were tens of thousands of martyrs and heroes. Here we must remember the pioneers – the Grand Mufti of Palestine, Hajj Muhammad Amin Al-Husseini, as well as Ahmad Al-Shukeiri, the founder of the PLO, and Yahya Hamouda, the head of the PLO Executive Committee. Let us not forget the martyr Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam, who sparked the 1936 revolution."
In the past, Abbas's television stations and newspapers have glorified terrorists such as Abu Jihad, the name by which the former head of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s military wing, Khalil al-Wazir, was known. 125 Israeli civilians and soldiers were killed in terror attacks he planned and directed.
In recent months the PA established a number of schools as well as a scout group, all of which were named after terrorist mastermind Dalal Mughrabi.
Mughrabi led a group of terrorists who in 1978 sailed from Lebanon to Israel to carry out a terror attack in which 37 Israeli civilians were killed.
Other programs on the PA-funded television channels include shows which encourage children to hate Israel and musical videos that long for Israeli cities such as Jaffa, Haifa and Akko.