PLO official participates in university celebration of terrorist Abu Jihad and calls him "our teacher"
Headline: “Jericho: Rally to mark Prisoner’s Day, Land Day, the anniversary of [the death of] Abu Jihad, and Deir Yassin”
“The Jericho branch of the Al-Quds Open University held a national rally yesterday [April 12, 2016] to mark Palestinian Prisoner’s Day, the eternal Land Day, the anniversary of the death as a Martyr (Shahid) of commander Khalil Al-Wazir ‘Abu Jihad’ and the anniversary of the Deir Yassin massacre in the Jericho municipality theater, in the presence of many politicians…
Secretary [-General] of the PLO Executive Committee [and Fatah Central Committee member] Saeb Erekat said: ‘We remember the anniversary of the two Kamals (i.e., Kamal Adwan and Kamal Nasser) and Abu Yusuf, the anniversary of our teacher Abu Jihad, the anniversary of Yasser Arafat who will reside within us forever, the anniversary of the Deir Yassin massacre, Land Day, and Prisoner’s Day. We understand that the Palestinian memory is full of Martyrs and injured, and see hope with every martyr, prisoner, and injured.’
Jericho and [Jordan] Valley District Governor Majed Al-Fatiani said that… in April, on the land of Rue Verdun, the two Kamals, Nasser and Adwan, and Abu Yusuf Al-Najjar died, and the Land Day Martyrs wrote their will to us, stating that we should tell those who stole our land that we as Palestinians have a large breathing space that has been maintained throughout history, regardless of how much this occupier forges, it cannot forge the letters of history and the will of the peoples. Likewise, in April Abu Jihad, manufacturer of men, also passed away, but Palestine prevails, and the idea is still inscribed in our hearts.”
Land Day – an annual commemoration of the general strike and demonstrations organized by Israeli Arab residents of the Galilee on March 30, 1976 to protest the Israeli government's decision to expropriate land in the Galilee for security and settlement purposes, which it later implemented. During the protests, demonstrators burnt tires, blocked roads, and threw rocks and firebombs. Six demonstrators were shot and killed by the Israeli army and police. Israeli Arabs and Palestinians consider Land Day a national day.
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.
Kamal Adwan and Kamal Nasser were both senior members of Black September who were killed by Israeli forces in April 1973. Kamal Nasser was also the spokesperson for the PLO and Fatah. Kamal Adwan was responsible for Fatah terrorist operations in Israel.
Abu Yusuf Al-Najjar was Arafat's deputy and among the founders of Fatah. He was the Commander of Al-Asifa, Fatah’s military unit, and member of Fatah’s Central Committee and PLO’s Executive Committee. He also was the Commander of Operations of the terrorist organization Black September and involved in the murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics (Sept. 5, 1972). He was killed by Israel in 1973.
Deir Yassin - On April 9, 1948, Jewish fighters from the Irgun and Lehi military groups, part of the forces opening the blockaded road to Jerusalem, attacked the Arab village of Deir Yassin. When the battle was over, the village had fallen and in addition to the Arab fighters killed, 107 civilians were also killed. Narratives differ as to whether the civilians were killed in the crossfires or were intentionally killed by the Irgun and Lehi fighters.