Fatah Facebook post praising Hallel Ariel's murder
Fatah Facebook post praising Hallel Ariel's murderPalestinian Media Watch

The Fatah faction of Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas was among the first groups to celebrate the brutal murder of a 13-year-old girl, stabbed to death as she slept by an Arab terrorist on Thursday.

Hallel-Yaffa Ariel's shocking murder occurred after the terrorist broke into her house in Kiryat Arba, near Hevron, and then - spotting the young girl asleep - locked himself in her room and viciously stabbed her multiple times in her back and head. The terrorist then stabbed and injured a member of the town's civilian security team, before being shot dead by other team members.

Mahmoud Abbas has himself refused to condemn the attack, which drew international condemnation - unsurprising, given the role his own organization has played in inciting such atrocities.

Following the attack itself, Fatah posted a picture of the murderer - 17-year-old Mohammed Tarayrah - onto its official Facebook page, together with a celebratory post, lauding "the martyr Mohammed Nasser Tarayrah, carried out the operation in which a settler was killed and (another) settler was injured."

The post was translated and highlighted by the Palestinian Media Watch NGO (PMW), which monitors incitement in the Palestinian media.

As noted shortly after the attack, Tarayrah's mother and sister both publicly celebrated their "heroic" relative as a "martyr", and expressed their hope that more would follow his path. The killer's sister has been arrested by security forces for inciting terrorism.

PMW also referred to a recent call by Abbas's close aide Sultan Abu al-Einein, who urged Palestinians to "slit the throats" of any Israelis they encounter, as further proof of incitement emanating from the highest levels of the PA.