Is a new female Palestinian role model emerging?
- Female fire fighter “shattered the barrier of anxiety and fear, changed the method and path, and became a role model”
- Female fire fighter: “Our [Palestinian] society believes that work in the Civil Defense Forces is for men only… I always hear, ‘You’re a girl, how will you be able to withstand work like this?”
- “Palestinian women are the strongest in the world” because they also “lead” terror attacks – former PLO diplomat
Whereas the PA most often glorifies terrorists who attacked and murdered Israelis as society’s heroes, and whereas the PA presents female terrorists and murderers as role models for women, an unusual report appeared in the official PA daily. The paper told the “success story” of Norhan Al-Atiyat, who has joined the PA Civil Defense and is involved in “rescue operations in case of disasters,” as “a story of a dream and defiance, which paves its path with willpower and determination”:
“Norhan Al-Atiyat, a young 23-year-old woman from Bethlehem, recorded a success story. Through it she dealt with the challenges and barriers from society when she decided to join the [PA] Civil Defense. Thus she began an unusual career, after undergoing training that focused on quick intervention during rescue operations in case of disasters or large incidents – something unusual in our Palestinian society. While the missions of the female workers of the Civil Defense are reduced to the point of civil services, Norhan shattered the barrier of anxiety and fear, changed the method and path, and became a role model…”
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Sept. 3, 2023]
Al-Atiyat explained that she succeeded thanks to support from her family and her social environment, and not least from the PA forces, “despite the uniqueness of the goal and dream, and despite it being far from the fields that women and young women of my age are generally interested in.” Al-Atiyat went from having an administrative role to joining the men in “putting out dangerous fires.”
What surprised Al-Atiyat was the “large echo and commotion around me joining the forces”:
“From my perspective, this is a dream that I have realized, but what caused the commotion is the fact that our society believes that work in the Civil Defense Forces is for men only…
There are those who tell me that my love for work in the Civil Defense Forces is a temporary love that will end [when I stop] being single and with the transition to married life.I always hear, ‘You’re a girl, how will you be able to withstand work like this?,’ and I tell them, ‘Even if I get married I’ll continue my work. The Palestinian women throughout the various stages of the national and historical struggle were at the front of the confrontation.’”
So is a new female role model emerging in Palestinian society to replace the female terrorist as role model?
Hopefully. But not very likely.
First, Al-Atiyat herself is a living product of PA terror education, and her justification for joining the Civil Defense was that “Palestinian women throughout the various stages of the national and historical struggle were at the front of the confrontation” – i.e., with Israel. “The struggle” is the PA euphemism for fighting Israel – including with terror - and Al-Atiyat seems to be indicating that female terrorists served as her own role models.
What is more, a recent interview with another woman, former PLO diplomat and engineer Raqiya Al-Ali, indicated that female terrorists are still being highlighted as role models. Al-Ali stressed that Palestinian women are “among the strongest women in the world” because in addition to the traditional roles, they are also “comrades in arms” and participate in terror attacks – “military operations and hijackings”:
Former PLO diplomat and engineer Raqiya Al-Ali: “The Palestinian women are among the strongest women in the world. Why? Because the yoke borne by the Palestinian women is heavier than that borne by any other women… [The Palestinian women] are also comrades in arms. Let us not forget that there are female Palestinian pioneers who led military operations (i.e., terror attacks) and hijacked planes.”
[Official PA TV, Female Palestinian Expatriates, Aug. 28, 2023]
Should a new role model gain popularity in the shape of fire fighter Norhan Al-Atiyat, it will still take perhaps decades to compete with the brainwashing of the Palestinian public that female terrorists are the pinnacle of Palestinian women. These terrorists include murderer Dalal Mughrabi, who led the most lethal terror attack against Israel in which 37 were murdered including 12 children, and female plane hijackers like Teresa Halsa and Laila Khaled. Palestinian Media Watch exposed that on Palestinian Women’s Day 2022, then Director of PLO Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs Qadri Abu Bakr singled out these female terrorists, terrorsit murderers, and airplane hijackers as role models:
Director of PLO Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs Qadri Abu Bakr: “We have many examples of Palestinian women – Fatima Barnawi (i.e., terrorist, placed bomb in movie theater), the first female Palestinian prisoner. We have Dalal Mughrabi (i.e., terrorist who led murder of 37), the commander of the coastal squad. We have Zakariya (sic., Zakiya) Shammout (i.e., terrorist, involved in murder of 1). We have Lina Al-Nabulsi. We have Theresa Halsa (i.e., terrorist hijacker, involved in killing of 1). We have Laila Khaled (i.e., terrorist hijacker, involved in murder of 1), and many other female prisoners and Martyrs throughout the homeland.”
[Facebook page of the PLO Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs, Oct. 24, 2022]
On the same occasion, Abbas’ Fatah stressed that the achievements of two murderers and a bomber is proof of the equal opportunities for women in the PA.
The following is a longer excerpt of the article about the female Palestinian fire fighter:
Headline: “Norhan Al-Atiyat – a maiden defending the female citizens who shattered the social restrictions and passed through the psychological barriers”.
“Every day we are witness to a story of a dream and defiance, which paves its path with willpower and determination…
One of these [stories] is Norhan Al-Atiyat, a young 23-year-old woman from Bethlehem, who recorded a success story. Through it she dealt with the challenges and barriers from society when she decided to join the [PA] Civil Defense. Thus she began an unusual career, after undergoing training that focused on quick intervention during rescue operations in case of disasters or large incidents – something unusual in our Palestinian society. While the missions of the female workers of the Civil Defense are reduced to the point of civil services, Norhan shattered the barrier of anxiety and fear, changed the method and path, and became a role model…
There is no success without a supporting familial and social environment. Regardless of the dream and regardless of its goals, it requires support and aid, and even before that, understanding from the surroundings and society. Norhan relates: ‘That is what made my path easier, despite the uniqueness of the goal and dream, and despite it being far from the fields that women and young women of my age are generally interested in. I received support from my entire family, alongside support and aid from the [Civil Defense] Forces and all its members, foremost among them [Civil Defense Forces Director-General] Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Al-Abd. I was given an opportunity to participate together with my male colleagues in incidents such as putting out dangerous fires. In my first years in the forces I only worked in the administrative aspect and in safety reviews. Honestly, we didn’t expect that there would be a large echo and commotion around me joining the forces. From my perspective, this is a dream that I have realized, but what caused the commotion is the fact that our society believes that work in the Civil Defense Forces is for men only. In spite of this, and even when I feel tired or exhausted, when the bell rings calling us to a mission I forget all the fatigue, the criticism, and the barriers, and my first and foremost goal becomes protecting the civilians…
There are those who tell me that my love for work in the Civil Defense Forces is a temporary love that will end with the end of being single and with the transition to married life.I always hear, ‘You’re a girl, how will you be able to withstand work like this?,’ and I tell them, ‘Even if I get married I’ll continue my work. The Palestinian women throughout the various stages of the national and historical struggle were at the front of the confrontation.’ …
My message to all the young women and men is: Make an effort to realize your dreams, as small as they may be, and don’t surrender. The feeling that I realized this dream caused me to take a step forward towards receiving a driver’s license for a Civil Defense vehicle (i.e., fire truck). I began to search on YouTube about the Civil Defense forces in the Arab states, and I discovered that as of now there are no girls who work in the Civil Defense forces with a driver’s license for a Civil Defense vehicle. Therefore, I decided to obtain a license, with the support of His Honor Maj. Gen. [Ibrahim Al-Abd] who encouraged me to take this step.’”
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Sept. 3, 2023]
Theresa Halsa – 17-year-old female Israeli Arab terrorist and a member of the Black September terror organization, a secret branch of Fatah, who participated in the hijacking of Sabena flight 571 from Vienna to Tel Aviv in May 1972. When the plane landed in Israel, the terrorists demanded the release of 315 Palestinian terrorists from Israeli prisons. Israel mounted a rescue operation led by Ehud Barak (who later served as Israeli Prime Minister), in which Benjamin Netanyahu (who also later served as Israeli Prime Minister) participated. During the rescue the two male hijackers, Ali Taha Abu Snina and Abed Al-Aziz Atrash, were killed, and one passenger, 22-year-old Miriam Anderson, was also killed accidentally. The two female hijackers, Rima Tannous and Theresa Halsa, were captured and sentenced to life imprisonment – Halsa for 220 years. They were released in November 1983 in a prisoner exchange. Halsa was expelled to Jordan where she lived until she died of cancer on March 28, 2020.
Laila Khaled - Palestinian terrorist and member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) who participated in the hijacking of TWA flight 840 from Rome to Athens on Aug. 29, 1969 and the hijacking of El Al flight 219 from Amsterdam to New York on Sept. 6, 1970. The second hijacking was averted by the pilot and security personnel on board. They shot Khaled’s accomplice, Patrick Argüello, who had murdered one of the flight attendants. Khaled was overpowered and the plane landed in London, where Khaled was handed over and held by British police until she was exchanged on Oct. 1, 1970 for hostages held by the PFLP.
Fatima Barnawi – Palestinian female terrorist who placed a bomb in a movie theater in Jerusalem in 1967. The bomb failed to explode. She was sentenced to life in prison but was released in 1977 after serving 10 years. Following the 1993 Oslo Accords, Barnawi was tasked with establishing the PA women's police force. In 2015, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas honored Barnawi with the Military Star of Honor. Barnawi died on Nov. 3, 2022.
Dalal Mughrabi – female Palestinian terrorist who led the attack that (until Oct. 7, 2023) was the most lethal terror attack in Israel’s history, known as the Coastal Road massacre, in 1978, when she and other Fatah terrorists hijacked a bus on Israel's Coastal Highway, murdering 37 civilians, 12 of them children, and wounding over 70. In text note: (i.e., terrorist who led murder of 37, 12 of them children)
Zakiya Shammout – Palestinian terrorist involved in several attacks including the placing of a bomb in the Afula market on Oct. 6, 1969, murdering 1 and injuring dozens. Shammout was sentenced to life in prison, but was released in a prisoner exchange deal in 1983 and deported to Algeria. She died in 2014.
Lina Al-Nabulsi – high school student who was apparently shot and killed by an Israeli soldier at a demonstration in Nablus on May 15, 1976, according to Palestinian sources. PMW has not been able to determine the exact circumstances surrounding her death.