PA glorifies murderer of 10 as "hero," compares to Gilad Shalit's kidnappers

Hafez Barghouti, editor-in-chief, PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, wrote an article glorifying the terrorist Thaer Hammad, who murdered three civilians and seven Israeli soldiers in a 2002 ambush. He called on Palestinians to view Hamed as a top priority for release in any future prisoner exchange. Among other words of praise he likened the terrorist to Gilad Shalit’s kidnappers:

"There is still some chance to carry out a deal [to free jailed Palestinians], since the present [Israeli] government wants last-minute achievements to bolster the Kadima and Labor parties... But what pains us is that at the top of the list of senior prisoners whose liberty is being sought, one non-political name is missing, that of the young sniper Thaer Hammad, who carried out the operation at Wadi Al-Haramiyye... [he] belonged to no faction when he carried out his action... which killed nine [Israeli] soldiers and three settlers. [Actual figure was seven soldiers and three civilians - Ed.]...
This young man should be our top priority, since he entered the history of the Intifada as having carried out the most successful military action, alone...
Thaer Hammad deserves freedom because he is the hero of the Intifada, and he is the only Palestinian resistance fighter who belongs to his people and to his land, spurning the factions, for had he been factional, he would not have succeeded in his action. He acted alone, going out to play solo on the M-1 [carbine], and did what tens of brigades and platoons, and hundreds of missiles and heroic stories, failed to do.
He is made of the same stuff as those who carried out the capture of Shalit, a military action that was successful by any military yardstick, and now he [Thaer Hammad] should be freed."