Fatah official sends “blessings to the rockets” Hamas fired at Israel
Video posted on the Facebook page of Fatah Central Committee member Abbas Zaki
Fatah Central Committee member Abbas Zaki: “[Former PLO Chairman and PA President] Yasser Arafat [is the one] who told the Americans ‘no’ at Camp David, the one who stood firm in all the battles and said: ‘Millions of Martyrs are marching to Jerusalem.’ …Let none of you think that there is a Palestinian from his mother’s womb who could reduce Arafat’s value or harm him. Even if there are spies who are attempting to slander [the name] of someone who is better, more complete, and purer in struggle – that is another matter. We here in the town of Sa’ir, the town of the Martyrs, congratulate all the factions and forces. We are not alone. Fatah’s power is in that it accompanied all 13 Martyrs…
Therefore, beware of strife, beware of mischief, which in Sa’ir and other places want to turn this unity into conflict. Woe to you if you attack any faction or any person who speaks Arabic. Yasser Arafat’s enemy is Israel. Yasser Arafat’s enemies are not Palestinians – don’t let them fool you…
We say today: … Blessings to the rockets that placed Hamas- that put Israel on alert or put them in [bomb] shelters. They caused [Israel] to hide (refers to Hamas rocket barrages; see note below -Ed.)… Blessings to those who fought and are working right now in all the areas to defend the Sheikh Jarrah [neighborhood of Jerusalem], in order to defend the Al-Aqsa Mosque (refers to violent Arab riots -Ed.).”
Abbas Zaki also holds the position as Fatah Commissioner for Arab and China Relations
Yasser Arafat – Founder of Fatah and former chairman of the PLO and PA. During the 1960s, 70s and 80s Arafat was behind numerous terror attacks against Israelis. Although he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 together with then Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and then Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Shimon Peres “for their efforts to create peace in the Middle East" after signing the Oslo Accords peace agreement, Arafat launched a 5-year terror campaign - the second Intifada (2000-2005) – in which more than 1,000 Israelis were murdered. Arafat died of an illness in 2004.
Fatah/Hamas Riot and Rocket War 2021 – On April 30, 2021, facing certain electoral defeat, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas cancelled the first PA elections scheduled in 15 years. Hamas, which expected to win the elections, denounced it as a “coup.” In need of a conflict to divert public discontent, Abbas artificially generated a crisis over Jerusalem. His Fatah party called for "raising the level of confrontation,” and Abbas' spokesman told Palestinians "the battle of all battles is here.” Jerusalem Arabs responded by attacking Jews with rocks and Molotov cocktails. Hamas, Abbas' political rival, could not allow Abbas to lead the battle, so on May 10, 2021, Hamas launched rocket barrages targeting Israeli population centers including Jerusalem. Over the next 11 days, Hamas and Islamic Jihad fired over 4,300 rockets into southern and central Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing 9 Israelis and 3 foreign nationals, and wounding hundreds. In response, Israel launched Operation Guardian of the Walls to target Hamas terror leaders and terror infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. Already in mid-April, a planned eviction of some Palestinian families illegally living in Jewish-owned buildings in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Jerusalem had led to clashes between Palestinian residents and Israeli police. This dispute provided Palestinians with a pretext for violent rioting. Adding to the crisis, Israeli Arabs started rioting throughout Israel, especially in cities with a mixed Jewish and Arab population. Two Jews were murdered and many were wounded. According to Walla, an independent Israeli news site, 10 synagogues were wholly or partly burned down; fires were set in 112 Jewish homes and 1 Arab home mistaken for a Jewish home; 386 Jewish homes were plundered and 673 were damaged; 849 cars were set ablaze; and there were 5,018 rock-throwing attacks. In response, Jews started attacking Arabs and their properties as well, but on a much smaller scale. No mosques were burned; 13 Arab homes were damaged; 13 Arab-owned cars were burned; and there were 41 rock-throwing attacks by Jews. [Walla, May 16, 2021] The fighting between Israel and Hamas ended with a ceasefire on May 21, 2021.