Vatican-funded sports club sponsors tournament named after mass murderer
Vatican-funded sports club sponsors tournament
named after terrorist mass murderer Abu Jihad
Event took place on grounds of organization funded by the UN, EU, French, British, and the US
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by Itamar Marcus
The Jerusalem Clubs Association, which is funded by the Vatican, sponsored a football tournament for youth named after arch-terrorist Abu Jihad. On numerous occasions, the PA has glorified Abu Jihad because he planned terror attacks that killed 125 Israelis.
According to the official PA daily, the Abu Jihad Football Tournament was "held under the auspices of the Jerusalem Clubs Association, in the framework of its program that is funded by the Pontifical Mission."
The Pontifical Mission is "the Papal agency for Middle East relief and development," according to its website. "Pope Pius XII mobilized worldwide Catholic aid, establishing in 1949 a temporary agency - the Pontifical Mission for Palestine - to feed, clothe and educate Palestinian refugees." [Pontifical Mission-Jerusalem's website, accessed May 2, 2016]
Palestinian Media Watch has reported that Abu Jihad is routinely honored by the PA and Fatah, by having sports events, summer camps, and other events named after him. This is the first time Vatican funding has been involved in glorifying Abu Jihad.
The event was held on the grounds of the Burj Luq Luq Society, which is funded by UNICEF, UNDP, EU, French Consulate, British Consulate, Pontifical Mission-Jerusalem, ANERA (American Near East Refugee Aid) and Terre des Hommes.
[p. 9-10 in Annual Report 2014 of The Burj Luq Luq Social Centre Society http://www.burjalluqluq.org, accessed May 2, 2016]
The following is the article in the PA daily:
"The Jerusalem Al-Ansar Club successfully concluded the 22nd Khalil Al-Wazir 'Abu Jihad' Football Tournament for young people born in 1995, which was efficiently and well organized on the grounds of the Burj Luq Luq Society. Fourteen Jerusalem clubs participated in the tournament, and it was held under the auspices of the Jerusalem Clubs Association, in the framework of its program that is funded by the Pontifical Mission ['the Papal agency for Middle East relief and development']."
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, May 1, 2016]
Abu Jihad (Khalil Al-Wazir) was a founder of Fatah and deputy to Yasser Arafat. He headed the PLO terror organization's military wing and also planned many deadly Fatah terror attacks. These attacks, which killed a total of 125 Israelis, included the most lethal in Israeli history - the hijacking of a bus and killing of 37 civilians, 12 of them children.