PA Officials: Murderer of 15 “set an example of giving and heroism”
Murderer of 15 honored by PA officials
Terrorist prisoners who together killed 12
deserve pity on Ramadan
because "the holiday is bitter and difficult"
in the Israeli prisons
by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik
Two senior Palestinian Authority officials laid wreaths at the grave of terrorist Abu Sukkar who in 1975 filled a refrigerator with explosives and detonated it in the center of Jerusalem, killing 15 people.
At the ceremony, Governor of Ramallah Laila Ghannam pledged loyalty to “the path” of the terrorist, who she called a “great fighter”:
Ghannam: "The spirit of Ahmad Abu Sukkar is the spirit of freedom burning in our souls and in our lives. We will remain loyal to the path of this great fighter, who sacrificed his life for the freedom and independence of Palestine."
[WAFA (the official Palestinian Authority news agency), July 16, 2015]
Issa Karake, PA Parliament Member and Director of PLO Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs, praised the bomber as someone who “set an example”:
Karake: "Ahmad Abu Sukkar was a real man, fighter, and human being who left his mark on everyone. He set an example of giving, resolve, and heroism. We are proud of him for being one of the symbols of the Palestinian national struggle and a symbol of the male and female prisoners' struggle for freedom and honor."
Palestinian Media Watchhas documented that bothGhannamand Karake regularly implement the PA policy of glorifying terrorist murderers.
Karake also honored imprisoned Palestinian murderers, expressing his compassion for them because the Ramadan holiday "is bitter and difficult" in prison. [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, July 13, 2015]
Karake mentioned by name specific prisoners with whom he sympathizes and who experienced these "difficulties" during Ramadan - terrorists imprisoned for kidnapping attempts and murder.
(See list below).
Karake's statements were quoted in the PA daily under the headline: "In the homes of the prisoners, the atmosphere and joy of the holiday is missing." The PA daily article identified with two additional killers, Karim and Maher Younes, Israeli Arabs serving 40-year life sentences for kidnapping and killing Israeli soldier Avraham Bromberg in 1980.
Karake stated that the holiday is so difficult for the prisoners because the Israel Prison Service "does not honor the religious and social events of prisoners, forbids group holiday prayers in prison, and prevents bringing in sweets and special dishes for the holidays." He also pitied the families of the terrorists, saying that "the holiday is very difficult" for them.
The following are the terrorists mentioned by name:
Ibrahim Agbaria - an Israeli Arab serving 3 life sentences. He participated in the murder of 3 soldiers, Guy Friedman, Yaacov Dubinsky and Yuri Ferda, in an army training camp near Kibbutz Gilad in the north of Israel on Feb. 14, 1992 - an attack known as "the night of the pitchforks".
Abd Al-Rahman Othman - serving a life sentence. He killed Eldad Abir at a gas station near Migdalim on March 1, 2006, together with Issam Zayn Al-Din. In 2014, the two also tried from prison to create a cell which would kidnap an Israeli soldier in order to free prisoners.
Nader Zayn Al-Din and Nazih and Ahmad Othman were involved in the above mentioned terror cell, which planned to kidnap a soldier. They have not yet been sentenced because they are still in the middle of the judicial process.
Muhammad Abu Hmeid - Palestinian terrorist serving 2 life sentences and 30 years for involvement in terror attacks. PMW has been unable to verify details regarding the attacks.
Nasser Abu Hmeid - Palestinian terrorist and a commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades (Fatah's military wing) in Ramallah who was responsible for the murder of 7 Israelis: Eli Cohen in a shooting attack on Route 443 in central Israel on Dec. 21, 2000; Binyamin and Talia Kahane in a drive-by shooting attack near Ofra, north of Jerusalem, on Dec. 31, 2000; Gadi Rejwan in a shooting attack in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Atarot on Feb. 27, 2002; and Yosef Habi, Eli Dahan, and Police Officer Sergeant-Major Salim Barakat in an attack at the Seafood Market and Mifgash Hasteak restaurants in Tel Aviv on March 5, 2002. Abu Hmeid is serving 7 life sentences and an additional 50 years.
Nasr Abu Hmeid - Palestinian terrorist and Tanzim (Fatah terror faction) member who was involved in arms dealing and two terror attacks: an attack in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Neve Yaakov on Feb. 25, 2002, in which Israeli policewoman Galit Arviv was murdered; and an attack at the Seafood Market and Mifgash Hasteak restaurants in Tel Aviv on March 5, 2002, in which 3 Israelis were murdered - Yosef Habi, Eli Dahan, and Police Officer Sergeant-Major Salim Barakat. Abu Hmeid is serving 5 life sentences.
Sharif Abu Hmeid - Palestinian terrorist and Tanzim (Fatah terror faction) member who was involved in two terror attacks: an attack in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Neve Yaakov on Feb. 25, 2002, in which Israeli policewoman Galit Arviv was murdered; and an attack at the Seafood Market and Mifgash Hasteak restaurants in Tel Aviv on March 5, 2002, in which 3 Israelis were murdered - Yosef Habi, Eli Dahan, and Police Officer Sergeant-Major Salim Barakat. Abu Hmeid is serving 4 life sentences.
The following are longer excerpts of the two articles:
Headline: "Laying wreaths on the grave of Martyr (Shahid) Abu Sukkar"
"Director of PLO Commission of Prisoners' Affairs [and PA Parliament Member] Issa Karake, District Governor of Ramallah and El-Bireh Laila Ghannam, and Head of Turmus Ayya Town Council Ribhi Mahmoud, laid wreaths on the grave of Martyr (Shahid) and veteran prisoner Ahmad Jabarah Abu Sukkar in Turmus Ayya, on the occasion of the first (sic., second) anniversary of Abu Sukkar's death... Ghannam stated: 'The spirit of Ahmad Abu Sukkar is the spirit of freedom burning in our souls and in our lives. We will remain loyal to the path of this great fighter, who sacrificed his life for the freedom and independence of Palestine.'
Karake stated: 'Ahmad Abu Sukkar was a real man, fighter and human being who left his mark on everyone. He set an example of giving, resolve and heroism. We are proud of him for being one of the symbols of the Palestinian national struggle and a symbol of the male and female prisoners' struggle for freedom and honor.' ... Martyr Ahmad Jabara 'Abu Sukkar' was born in 1936 in the town of Turmus Ayya, north of Ramallah. He served 27 years in the Israeli occupation's prisons, after being accused of placing a refrigerator containing explosives at Zion Square in the center of Tel Aviv (sic., Jerusalem) in 1975, which killed 13 (sic., 15) Israelis. At the time, the Court sentenced Abu Sukkar to a life sentence and 30 years.
Abu Sukkar was released in 2003, at the request of the deceased Palestinian president Yasser Arafat, and died on the evening of Tuesday, July 16, 2014 (sic., 2013), from a heart attack. Abu Sukkar had 6 sons."
[WAFA (the official Palestinian Authority news agency), July 16, 2015]
Ahmad Jabarah Abu Sukkarplanned a bombing attack in 1975 in which a refrigerator filled with explosives was detonated in Jerusalem. 15 people were killed and over 60 people were wounded. He was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years, but was released from prison after 28 years as part of a goodwill gesture from Israel to the PA in 2003. He was a member of the Fatah Revolutionary Council and an advisor to Arafat on prisoners' affairs. He died of a heart attack in 2013 in the PA.
Headline: "In the homes of the prisoners the atmosphere and joy of the holiday is missing"
"After 33 years of imprisonment, Eid El-Fitr this year, 2015, will be the 65th holiday of the prisoners Karim Younes and his cousin Maher Younes from the village of Arah in the 1948 territories (i.e., Israel) while still behind the walls and bars of the occupation's prisons...
According to the report by the [PLO] Commission of Prisoners' Affairs, 5,840 prisoners will spend the Eid El-Fitr [holiday] behind bars, far from their families, children, wives, and friends, in 18 of the occupation's prisons and detention centers. Among them are 22 female prisoners, 11 of them married, in addition to 250 children and minors and 30 prisoners who were arrested before the Oslo Agreement, among them 16 prisoners who have served more than 25 years in prison.
The report adds that about 2,680 married male and female prisoners sitting in the Israeli occupation's prisons will be absent from the Eid El-Fitr celebrations and will not participate with their families in the joy of the holiday.
Director of PLO Commission of Prisoners' Affairs Issa Karake explained that... inside the prison, the holiday is bitter and difficult, as the [Israel] Prison Service does not honor the religious and social events of prisoners, forbids group holiday prayers in prison, and prevents bringing in sweets and special dishes for the holidays. Despite this, the prisoners try to overcome their difficult situation through simple ceremonies like holiday prayer, internal visits between rooms, blessing each other, and preparing simple, easy sweet baked goods, and thus send a message to the [Israeli] Prison Service, that they have the right to celebrate the holiday and have hope that their next celebration will be their freedom.
He added: 'The holiday is very difficult for many Palestinian homes, such as the home of the prisoner couple Ibrahim Agbaria and Muna Qa'adan, and the female prisoner released only two weeks ago, Samaher Zayn Al-Din, who left behind her husband Nader Zayn Al-Din and her three brothers, Nazih, Ahmad, and Abd Al-Rahman Othman. This is in addition to the Abu Hmeid family from the Al-Amari refugee camp, which includes four imprisoned brothers, three of them serving life sentences.'"
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, July 13, 2015]
Um Yousuf Abu Hmeid (Latifa Abu Hmeid) - Palestinian woman who is famous and admired in the Palestinian Authority for being the mother of 4 terrorist prisoners serving multiple life sentences, another terrorist who admitted to murdering an Israeli soldier, and another terrorist son whom the PA refers to as a "Martyr." Abu Hmeid is also called Khansa of Palestine, a name that refers to the woman Al-Khansa in the earliest period of Islam who sent her four sons to battle and rejoiced when they all died as Martyrs. Abu Hmeid was honored by the PA in 2010 and in 2015, and was chosen in 2011 to launch the PA’s statehood campaign with the UN.