Was yesterday’s murder ideological terror, good financial planning or both?
- Fatah:
“We demand that you [Palestinians] carry out the [general] strike in honor of all the Martyrs, wounded, and prisoners, and [in honor] of our heroic Martyr Muhammad Kamel Al-Ja’abari who inflicted pain on the occupation and killed and wounded those in its ranks”
- Terror organization PFLP “expressed its pride in the heroic operation in Hebron”
- Terror organization DFLP “praised the heroic shooting operation”
- The terrorist was suffering from cancer. By killing Israelis and dying as a “Martyr” the terrorist guaranteed the financial future of his family.
On Saturday night, Oct. 29, 2022, Palestinian terrorist Muhammad Kamel Al-Ja’abari murdered 50-year-old Israeli Ronen Hananya and injured 5 others. Now the question is whether this was an ideologically motivated attack or just sound financial planning? Was the attack the result of intensive incitement and calls for terror or was it a product of the Palestinian Authority’s “Pay-for-Slay” policy? Or rather both!
On the one hand, Al-Ja’abari comes from a family of Hamas terrorists. His brother Wael, a member of Hamas, was convicted for murdering 2 Israelis. He was released from prison in October 2011 as part of the deal to secure the release of Israeli solider Gilad Shalit, who had been kidnapped and was held captive by Hamas.
The murder in Hebron last night came at a time of a continuing terror wave, a chain of lethal Palestinian terror attacks that have claimed the lives of 27 Israelis and others since the start of the 2022, alone. It comes at a time when Fatah, the party of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, is openly calling on its social media pages for “an escalation against the … settler herds”:
Posted text and text on image: “Fatah’s Ramallah branch declares a general strike and mourning over the Martyrs’ souls, and calls for an escalation against the occupation army and the settler herds at all the points of friction.”
[Facebook page of the Fatah Commission of Information and Culture, Oct. 25, 2022]
Following Al-Ja’abari’s lethal attack, Fatah’s Hebron branch celebrated the land “that has been perfumed by the blood of thousands of Martyrs” and called for a general strike “in honor of all the Martyrs, wounded, and prisoners, and [in honor] of our heroic Martyr Muhammad Kamel Al-Ja’abari”:
Posted text: “In the name of All Merciful Allah
A statement by the Fatah Movement – Central Hebron [branch]
Almighty Allah said: ‘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].
To the masses of our people in Hebron – you who are standing firm, who are carrying out Ribat (i.e., religious conflict over land claimed to be Islamic) on the most pure and sublime land on earth, the land that has been perfumed by the blood of thousands of Martyrs [who died] for the sake of its purification and liberation from the occupation’s defilement - and liberation is coming, Almighty Allah willing.
O our mighty people: Our struggle continues, and the procession of Martyrs stands at the front of the national arena to defend our land, our honor, and our holy sites, in response to the brutal and systematic attack that the occupation government is leading against our people in all the homeland’s districts.
Therefore, we in the Fatah Central Hebron [branch] announce – in honor of the one who carried out the operation (i.e., terror attack) in the thieving settlement of Kiryat Arba in Hebron, heroic Martyr Muhammad Kamel Al-Ja’abari (i.e., terrorist, murdered 1) – we announce as follows:
The general strike is on Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022, and it will include all aspects of life.
Therefore, we demand that you carry out the strike in honor of all the Martyrs, wounded, and prisoners, and [in honor] of our heroic Martyr Muhammad Kamel Al-Ja’abari who inflicted pain on the occupation and killed and wounded those (sic., Al-Ja’abari murdered 1) in its ranks.
Glory and eternity to our pure Martyrs and freedom to our heroic prisoners.
Fatah – Hebron district”
[Facebook page of the Fatah Movement – Central Hebron Branch,
Oct. 30, 2022]
While Abbas’ Fatah celebrated the murderer, Abbas’ PA reported how “Muhammad Kamel Al-Ja’abari, 35, was shot by the occupation and died as a Martyr.” The report neglected to mention that Al-Ja’abari was a terrorist and murderer, and that he was killed while carrying out a terror attack:
“The Israeli occupation soldiers and the settlers continued the aggression against our people, its holy sites, and its property yesterday, Saturday, [Oct. 29, 2022]…
A young person died as a Martyr (i.e., terrorist Muhammad Kamel Al-Ja’abari, who murdered 1) and a [Palestinian] paramedic was shot and wounded by the Israeli occupation forces yesterday evening, Saturday, next to the settlement of Kiryat Araba, which crouches on civilians’ lands in eastern Hebron (sic., the Palestinian was wounded in the shootout initiated by Al-Ja’abari).
[PA] security sources said that Muhammad Kamel Al-Ja’abari, 35, was shot by the occupation and died as a Martyr next to the settlement of Kiryat Arba in the east of the city, and noted that the occupation authorities seized his body…
The Fatah Movement’s Central Hebron branch eulogized Martyr Al-Ja’abari and declared a general strike today, Sunday, in the Hebron district in honor of the Martyrs, wounded, and prisoners.”
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Oct. 30, 2022]
In this environment, it is certainly part of the motivation to murder Ronen was ideological and a product of the ongoing PA/PLO/Fatah incitement.
At the same time, reports regarding this specific terrorist give rise to another, much more calculated, component. According to the reports, Al-Ja’abari did not have any prior convictions for involvement in terror and was relatively unknown to the Israeli security forces. He was married, a father of two children, and a teacher by profession. He was also suffering from advanced abdominal cancer.
As part of the terror rewarding “Pay-for-Slay” policy, the Palestinian Authority not only pays substantial salaries to imprisoned and released terrorists, it also pays substantial allowances to the families of dead terrorists, who they refer to as “Martyrs.”
As a basic payment, the PA pays the family of a dead terrorist 1,400 shekels ($396) per month with additions if the dead terrorist was married or had children.
Had Al-Ja’abari simply died of cancer, his family would have lost their main breadwinner and would possibly have been subjected to collecting PA welfare, which stand at 600 shekels ($170) per month.
However, having died as a “Martyr” while murdering Israelis, Al-Ja’abari’s family will now forever be supported by the PA. His wife will receive a one-time payment of 6,000 shekels ($1,698) and additional monthly payments of 2,200 shekels ($622) for the rest of their lives. His children will also be entitled to many other benefits.
In other words, by dying as a “Martyr”, the terrorist guaranteed that not only will he be remembered as a “hero” glorified by the Palestinian Authority, but rather that his family will be forever taken care of financially.
This would not be the first time Palestinian terrorists attempted to martyr themselves by murdering Israelis, as a means to guarantee the financial future of their family. This was the case, exposed by Palestinian Media Watch, of terrorist Khaled Rajoub, who confessed that after accumulating considerable debts, he tried to kill Israeli soldiers, and hoped to be killed himself, “so that my children will receive a [PA] allowance and live happily”:
Interrogator: "Why did you decide to kill soldiers, and not someone else?"
Rajoub: "The best is to kill soldiers. That way they have guns and they'll shoot me and kill me. But if I'm not able to kill soldiers, I'll try settlers, guards - in other words any Israeli target - the important thing is that I will die and they will kill me, so that my children will receive a [PA] allowance and live happily."
Interrogator: "What did you want to achieve by killing soldiers or settlers, or any Israeli target?"
Rajoub: "So they'd shoot me and I'd die, and my children would receive an allowance."
Interrogator: "Are you still determined to do that?"
Rajoub: "Of course, 100%. I'm telling you - if you'll set me free, I'll do it again as soon as possible. I'll bring another car, and I'll run over [soldiers] at the first military post I see. I'll kill as many as possible, and they'll shoot me, and I'll die. There is no other solution."
[Israeli Police interrogation of terrorist Khaled Rajoub, Feb. 2, 2014]
The following are additional statements praising terrorist murderer Al-Ja’abari:
Headline: “The Palestinian factions’ responses to the Kiryat Arba operation”
“This evening, Saturday [Oct. 29, 2022], the Palestinian factions responded to the shooting operation next to the settlement of Kiryat Arba in Hebron (refers to attack by terrorist Muhammad Al-Ja’abari who murdered 1 -Ed.)…
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) expressed its pride in the heroic operation in Hebron, in which a settler was killed and six others were wounded, including known figures (sic., 3 Israelis and 1 Palestinian were wounded in the attack, none of them known figures)…
The PFLP emphasized that this high-quality operation is part of our people’s response to the incessant crimes of the occupation and its settlers.”
[Donia Al-Watan, independent Palestinian news agency, Oct. 29, 2022]
Headline: “The Democratic Front [for the Liberation of Palestine] praises the Hebron operation, and emphasizes that the occupation will pay the price of its crimes against our people”
“The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) issued a statement today [Oct. 29, 2022], in which it praised the heroic shooting operation next to the settlement of Kiryat Arba in Hebron, which caused the death and wounding of a number of settlers (refers to attack by terrorist Muhammad Al-Ja’abariya, 1 murdered and 4 wounded including a Palestinian -Ed.).
The DFLP announced the death of the one who carried out the Hebron operation, Martyr Muhammad Al-Ja’abari from Beit Einunin the Hebron [district], to the masses of our Palestinian people.
It emphasized: ‘The occupation only understands the language of force, and it must pay the price for its incessant terror and crimes against our people.’ It also emphasized: ‘The occupation’s crimes will not harm our people’s willpower and its resolve, and they will not prevent it from continuing the struggle and resistance in all possible ways and in all fields until defeating the occupation and its settlers.’
The DFLP concluded its statement with ‘a salute to the heroes of the Hebron operation.’ It added: ‘This heroic operation is a complete failure of the Israeli security system, despite the occupation’s attempts to stop the resistance that is intensifying in the Palestinian West Bank including Jerusalem.’”
[Donia Al-Watan, independent Palestinian news agency, Oct. 29, 2022]
Official PA TV reporter: “Hebron had a tense night [Oct. 29, 2022] due to the settlers’ attacks and the exchange of roles between them and the occupation army following news on the death as a Martyr of young Muhammad Al-Ja’abari (i.e., terrorist, murdered 1)… Today, after the declaration of a strike of mourning over the soul of Martyr Al-Ja’abari, Hebron showed steel discipline in obeying the strike as can be seen behind me, a strike declared by Fatah’s Central Hebron branch as mourning over the soul of Martyr Al-Ja’abari who ascended to Heaven yesterday evening.”
[Official PA TV, Palestine This Morning, Oct. 30, 2022]
Muhammad Kamel Al-Ja'abari - Palestinian terrorist and Hamas member who shot and murdered 1 Israeli and wounded 3 others, in addition to wounding 1 Palestinian, at a checkpoint between Kiryat Arba and Hebron on Oct. 29, 2022. In response an Israeli security guard rammed his car into Al-Ja'abari and an off-duty soldier shot and killed him, thereby ending the attack.
The DFLP (Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine) has carried out numerous terror attacks, including the Ma’alot massacre in which 22 schoolchildren and 4 adults were murdered (May 15, 1974), the Avivim school bus massacre, in which 9 children and 3 adults were murdered (May 22, 1970), the Kiryat Shmona massacre (18 murdered, April 11, 1974), the Beit Shean attack (4 murdered, Nov. 19, 1974), the Jaffa street bombing in Jerusalem (7 murdered, Nov. 13, 1975) the Tiberias bombing (2 high school students murdered, May 15, 1979), the Night of the Gliders (in which two terrorists infiltrated Israel from Lebanon using hang gliders, murdering 6 Israeli soldiers on Nov. 25, 1987), and the Geha junction suicide bombing near Tel Aviv (4 murdered, Dec. 25, 2003.) The DFLP has participated in and claimed responsibility for dozens of other terror attacks.