Abbas gives “blessings” to "the fighting people" who participated in lethal Arab riots in Jerusalem
“Led by [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas, the Fatah Movement Revolutionary Council opened the discussions yesterday [June 21, 2021] of its eighth session [entitled] ‘Jerusalem is our capital and the symbol of our identity and our people’s freedom.’ …
The following is the text of President Mahmoud Abbas’ speech at the beginning of the Fatah Revolutionary Council meeting:
‘Blessings to the Martyrs, the prisoners, the wounded, the masses of our people that is standing firm in Jerusalem, our state’s eternal capital. Blessings to our people in the Sheikh Jarrah [neighborhood of Jerusalem], in the Silwan [neighborhood of Jerusalem], and in all the streets, neighborhoods, and alleys of Jerusalem. Blessings to those carrying out Ribat (i.e., religious conflict over land claimed to be Islamic) who are standing firm in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque plazas, and toall those who are defending our Islamic and Christian holy sites.Blessings to our fighting peoplein Beita, which has become a model and an icon of popular resistance, and on whose land Martyrs have fallen…
Blessings to all the members of our people who supported the Jerusalem uprising (refers to violent Arab riots and Hamas rocket barrages; see note below -Ed.) in our villages, our cities, and our refugee camps.’”
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.