Fatah sanctions stabbing attacks against Israelis
Fatah sanctions stabbing attacks against Israelis
Nan Jacques Zilberdik
n
Emphasizing its support for stabbing attacks against Israelis, Abbas' Fatah movement posted a photo of a knife on Twitter, claiming that young Palestinians "follow this path" because Israel "forces" them to:
"Israel is forcing the young Palestinians to follow this path to Jerusalem.
Leave our land, you, your occupation, and your soldiers, and let us live in peace."
[Official Fatah Twitter account, March 27, 2016]
The image shows a knife with the Dome of the Rock in the center of it.
Throughout the current wave of terror attacks, the Palestinian Authority and Fatah leaders have claimed complete innocence, accusing Israel of provoking Palestinians to attack in
"self-defense." Even Mahmoud Abbas himself has presented this spin on reality.
"self-defense." Even Mahmoud Abbas himself has presented this spin on reality.
Palestinian Media Watch documented that less than a week after Palestinians had murdered 4 Israeli civilians, Abbas said:
"The Palestinian side did not attack and did not do anything against the Israelis... We have to protect our holy sites."
[Official PA TV, Oct. 6, 2015 and Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Oct. 7, 2015]
In addition, Fatah's official Facebook page and Twitter account have been a central part of the current terror campaign. Fatah has praised killers of Israelis in numerous posts, among them Nashat Melhem who murdered 3 in Tel Aviv, and Muhannad Halabi who stabbed 2 to death in Jerusalem.
Fatah has also used social media to visually express its promotion and approval of stabbing attacks, including its sanction of the recent stabbing attack in Tel Aviv-Jaffa in which a US citizen was murdered:
The image shows a hand with a knife over a map of "Palestine" which includes the PA areas as well as all of Israel.
Text on arm: "The heroic Martyr (Shahid)"
Text on map: "Bashar Masalha"
[Official Fatah Facebook page,
March 9, 2016]
March 9, 2016]
Further examples of Fatah posts on social media that have endorsed stabbings:
 |  |
| Posted text: "We'll be victorious or die" [Official Fatah Facebook page, Oct. 23, 2015] | Text on photo: "#so_what" [Official Fatah Facebook page , Nov. 7, 2015] |
 |  |
Jew screaming in pain with a knife stuck in his shoulder. PA flag on the blade of the knife and Jerusalem in the background. Text: "Here is Jerusalem, you crazies, beware!" [Official Fatah Facebook page, Oct. 4, 2015] | A masked man plays a knife as a violin, with the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock in the background. Posted text: "A symphony of love for Jerusalem." [Official Fatah Twitter account, Oct. 12, 2015] |