PA cult of Martyrdom worship still going strong
Senior Fatah official praises women for embracing the Palestinian Martyr cult: Palestinian women are like no other, they “view their children as insignificant compared to the homeland… they make sounds of joy for the Martyrs”
Fatah official kisses bloody shirt of terrorist shooter
Fatah uses death of rioter to promote “Martyrdom” indoctrination
Text on gravestone: “The bride price of [Palestine] is my death as a Martyr”
When one Fatah Central Committee member posts a picture of himself kissing the blood-stained shirt of a “heroic Martyr,” and another praises Palestinian women for being special because they see “their children as insignificant compared to the homeland” and make “sounds of joy for the Martyrs,” and when a PA official talks about a young man’s death as his “crowning his struggle with Martyrdom-death,” then it is clear that the Palestinian Authority’s cult of Martyrdom worship is still flourishing. These also indicate that PA leaders are still promoting death as “Martyrs for Palestine”– an ideal the PA has cultivated in Palestinians for decades.
While violent riots were raging in Jerusalem, only two weeks prior to the recent war, Fatah Central Committee member Abbas Zaki praised Palestinian women for not grieving when losing their loved ones as do other women. Zaki described the priorities of Palestinian women who “view their children as insignificant compared to the homeland,” and elaborated on how they are “proud of Martyrdom, and sing for the grooms” – a reference to the belief that a Martyr's funeral is considered his wedding to the 72 Virgins in Paradise in Palestinian Islam and culture:
Fatah Central Committee member Abbas Zaki: “Palestinian women are not like any other women in the world. All [the other] women worry about their loved ones, their children, and their husbands much more, and when they die even a natural death, [the women] tear at their cheeks and go crazy, [and call] “Allahu Akbar”. The Palestinian women, due to all the suffering and massacres that they have seen, view their children as insignificant compared to the homeland. [They] have seen great people die for the sake of the cause, and all they do is make sounds of joy for the Martyrs, be proud of Martyrdom, and sing for the grooms.”
[Official Facebook page of Fatah Central Committee member Abbas Zaki, April 29, 2021]
Accordingly, Fatah announced “with great honor, pride, and admiration,” that it accompanied to his “wedding,” a Palestinian “Martyr,” Fadi Washaha, who was shot during violent riots and confrontations with Israel. Fatah included a photo of a man standing by a gravestone with the inscription: “The bride price of [Palestine] is my death as a Martyr,” implying that if you want “Palestine” as your “bride,” then you must be prepared to seek death for “her”:
Posted text: “With great honor, pride, and admiration, the Fatah Movement Commission of Information and Culture accompanies to [his] wedding (i.e., Martyr's funeral is considered wedding to the 72 Virgins in Paradise in Islam) its heroic Martyr, released prisoner and one of the prominent leaders of the [Fatah] Shabiba Student [Movement] in the homeland Fadi Washaha, who died today [June 2, 2021] of wounds he received during the battle to defend the Al-Aqsa Mosque.” (refers to violent Israeli Arab riots in Jerusalem –Ed.)
[Facebook page of the Fatah Commission of Information and Culture, June 2, 2021]
Upon Fadi Washaha’s death, Ramallah District Governor Dr. Laila Ghannam visited at the bedside and stressed that he was “crowning his struggle with Martyrdom-death.” On her Facebook page she further stated that the Palestinian people is determined to “continue in the struggle and the path of the Martyrs,” thereby instructing Palestinians not to fear death for “Palestine”:
Posted text: “[Ramallah and El-Bireh District Governor] Dr. Laila Ghannam at the Palestinian Medical Complex, where it was announced that wounded released prisoner Fadi Washaha died as a Martyr.
District Governor Ghannam emphasized that today [June 2, 2021], Martyr Washaha is crowning his struggle with Martyrdom-death. She also emphasized that when the occupation targets our young people for murder, it will [only] increase our people’s determination to continue in the struggle and the path of the Martyrs until establishing our independent state whose capital is Jerusalem.”
[Facebook page of Ramallah and El-Bireh District Governor Laila Ghannam, June 2, 2021]
Moreover, Ghannam reinforced the ideal praised by Fatah official Zaki (above) - that mothers make “sounds of joy” over their sons’ Martyrdom:
“A kiss on the forehead of the Martyr’s mother, who is holding on and anticipating reward from Allah, and who despite the pain made sounds of joy over the Martyrdom-death.
Glory to the Martyrs, healing to the wounded, freedom to the prisoners.”[Facebook page of Ramallah and El-Bireh District Governor Laila Ghannam, June 2, 2021]
“Anticipating reward from Allah,” is a reference to the belief that the “Martyr” not only assures himself the pleasures of Paradise but also benefits his relatives.
To strengthen its indoctrination of Palestinians to seek death as “Martyrs” for “Palestine,” and the “joy” relatives are supposed to be feeling when they “succeed,” Abbas’ Fatah movement also posted a video of the dead rioter’s mother “celebrating” his “wedding”:
In the video the mother is seen crying and saying:
“Congratulations on [your] Martyrdom-death, my son, this is a wedding.”
Posted text: “‘Congratulations on [your] Martyrdom-death, my son, this is a wedding’
The mother of Martyr Fadi Washaha, who died of wounds he received two weeks ago during confrontations in El-Bireh (i.e., while participating in violent Arab riots; see note below), bids him farewell.”[Facebook page of the Fatah Commission of Information and Culture, June 2, 2021]
Fatah also announced another terrorist’s death as a “Martyr” with “honor, pride, and admiration,” while Fatah Central Committee member Tawfiq Tirawi posted a photo of himself kissing the terrorist “heroic Martyr’s” blood-stained shirt:
Posted text: “Fatah Movement Central Committee member [and Fatah Commissioner of Popular Organizations] Tawfiq Tirawi kisses the blood and clothes of heroic Martyr Abdallah Khaled Daabas (i.e., terrorist, shot by Israeli security forces), a resident of the Tulkarem district. We pray to Allah that he will increase our days so we will welcome him when he arrives (i.e., when Israel returns his body).
May Allah have mercy on the pure-hearted Martyrs”
[Facebook page of Fatah Central Committee member Tawfiq Tirawi, June 7, 2021]
The image shows a poster with pictures of former and current PLO and PA Chairmen Yasser Arafat and Mahmoud Abbas in the upper left corner, and in the upper right corner is the Fatah logo. At the bottom is a picture of terrorist Abdallah Khaled Daabas and the Dome of the Rock.
Text on poster: “‘And never think of those who have been killed in the cause of Allah as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision’ [Quran 3:169, Sahih International translation]
With great honor, pride, and admiration
The Palestinian National Liberation Movement – Fatah…
Announces the death of the Martyr of Qadr Night
Abdallah Khaled Daabas
Who died as a Martyr at Salem checkpoint
On Friday morning, May 7, 2021”[Facebook page of Fatah Central Committee member Tawfiq Tirawi, June 7, 2021]
Fatah official Tirawi visited two other families of “heroic” terrorist “Martyrs” who wounded 8 Israelis:
Posted text: “Fatah Movement Central Committee member [and Fatah Commissioner of Popular Organizations] Tawfiq Tirawi visited the families of heroic Martyrs Shaher Mahmoud Abu Khadija (i.e., terrorist, wounded 6) and Zuhdi Muhannad Al-Tawil (i.e., terrorist, wounded 2), from Kafr Aqab.”
Text on poster: “The Palestinian National Liberation Movement [‘Fatah’] – Jerusalem Branch
Accompanies to the heavens its heroic Martyr son
Shaher Mahmoud Abu Khadija ‘Abu Ammar’”[Facebook page of Fatah Central Committee member Tawfiq Tirawi, June 8, 2021]
Note that the gravestone in the photo above is in the shape of the PA map of “Palestine” that presents all of Israel together with the PA areas as “Palestine.” On the gravestone is the logo of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, Fatah’s military wing, featuring crossed assault rifles.
The word “Martyr” in the posted text has a space in the middle of it, in order to evade Facebook’s algorithms which often remove posts glorifying “Martyrs” -Ed.
PMW was unable to determine for which crimes Fadi Washaha had been imprisoned.
The following is a longer excerpt of Ghannam's statement cited above:
Posted text: “[Ramallah and El-Bireh District Governor] Dr. Laila Ghannam at the Palestinian Medical Complex, where it was announced that wounded released prisoner Fadi Washaha died as a Martyr (i.e., having been wounded while participating in violent Arab riots; see note below).
District Governor Ghannam emphasized that today [June 2, 2021], Martyr Washaha is crowning his struggle with Martyrdom-death. She also emphasized that when the occupation targets our young people for murder, it will [only] increase our people’s determination to continue in the struggle and the path of the Martyrs until establishing our independent state whose capital is Jerusalem.
It should be noted that Washaha was shot and wounded after the occupation suppressed a demonstration next to the northern entrance of El-Bireh…
A kiss on the forehead of the Martyr’s mother, who is holding on and anticipating reward from Allah, and who despite the pain made sounds of joy over the Martyrdom-death.
Glory to the Martyrs, healing to the wounded, freedom to the prisoners.”
[Facebook page of Ramallah and El-Bireh District Governor Laila Ghannam, June 2, 2021]
Abdallah Khaled Daabas – 20-year-old Palestinian terrorist who - together with terrorist accomplices Ahmed Fuqaha, 19, and Muhammad Ayman Fathi, 20 - attempted to enter Israel from the PA on a bus bringing Palestinians without entry permits to the Temple Mount, in order to carry out a shooting attack in coastal Israel on May 7, 2021. Israeli security forces stopped the bus for a security check at Salem checkpoint near Jenin, at which point the terrorists got off and opened fire at them, causing the security forces to return fire and kill Daabas and one of the other terrorists, while critically wounding the third.
Shaher Mahmoud Abu Khadija – Palestinian terrorist who wounded 6 Israeli police officers in a car ramming attack in Jerusalem on May 16, 2021. Abu Khadija was shot and killed during his attack.
Zuhdi Al-Tawil - 17-year-old Arab terrorist from Jerusalem who stabbed and wounded two Israelis near the Israeli Police National Headquarters in Jerusalem, near Ammunition Hill, on May 24, 2021, before being shot and killed by an Israeli border patrol officer at the scene.
Abbas Zaki also holds the position as Fatah Commissioner for Arab and China Relations
Tawfiq Tirawi also serves as Fatah Commissioner of Popular Organizations.
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.