Abbas eulogizes as “loyal fighter son” singer of band that urged to “pull the trigger to redeem the country"
- Lyrics of his band’s songs include:
”We replaced bracelets with weapons.
We attacked the despicable [Zionists].
This invading enemy is on the battlefield.
This is the day of consolation of Jihad.
Pull the trigger.
We shall redeem Jerusalem, Nablus and the country"
- Band glorified 7 terrorists serving multiple life sentences who had planned the murder of more than 100 civilians
- Abbas officially declared the band a “national institution” in 2010
The popular Palestinian band Alashakeen has lost one of their members, artist Hussein Mundhir ‘Abu Ali’. According to PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas this is a great loss for “Palestine”:
Abbas: “Palestine has lost one of itsloyal fighter sonswho dedicated his life to the Palestinian revolution.”
“[Abbas] added that through his national songs, the late artist turned the history of the modern Palestinian revolution, its battles, and its acts of heroism into a living image… [Abbas] praised the great role of the departed, after he enriched the national culture and the Palestinian popular art through his national songs, which expressed the sacrifices made by our people, its resolve, and its acts of heroism.”
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Sept. 19, 2023]
That Abbas is a fan of the Alashakeen band is no surprise, as Palestinian Media Watch documented that he honored them by officially declaring them a “national institution” in November 2010.
So, what are the themes of these “national songs” that Abbas thinks has “enriched the national culture”?
For more than a decade, PMW has exposed the hate and violence promoting content of the band’s songs that include calling for the end of Israel.
PMW first exposed a song by Alashakeen in September 2010. It urges Jihad and armed struggle all over Israel, and calls to “pull the trigger”:
"Fight, brother, the flag will never be lowered,
the torches will never die out."
On [Mt.] Carmel (i.e., in Israel) and in the [Jordan] Valley,
we are rocks and streams.
In Lod (i.e., Israeli city) we are poems, and in Ramle (i.e., Israeli city) - grenades.
We, my brother, shall remain the revolution of the fighting nation."
"The Zionists went out from [their] homelands,
compounding damage and enmity.
But the Palestinian revolution awaits [them].
The orchard called us to the [armed] struggle.
We replaced bracelets with weapons.
We attacked the despicable [Zionists].
This invading enemy is on the battlefield.
This is the day of consolation of Jihad.
Pull the trigger.
We shall redeem Jerusalem, Nablus and the country."[Official PA TV, Sept. 12, 2010]
The danger of popular bands promoting hate and terror was highlighted by Elisabeth Kendall, an expert on extremism at Oxford University. She warned about ISIS’ use of music to appeal to youth:
“The rhyme, beat, evocative lyrics and punchy delivery are especially appealing to youth. This catchy sing-along method for propagating ISIS ideology means it spreads quickly and sticks in the collective memory. It tends to be far more effective than sermons or theological debate and treatises.”
[The Wall Street Journal, Oct. 21, 2019]
A song and video, which Alashakeen in 2012 “dedicated to our brave prisoners” – i.e., imprisoned terrorists – shows Abbas vowing to free all Palestinian terrorist prisoners, followed by photos of 7 such “brave prisoners.” They are terrorists imprisoned for orchestrating the murder of more than 100 Israeli and foreign civilians. Some of them are serving multiple life sentences:
Text on screen: "Dedicated by the Alashekeen band to our brave prisoners."
Abbas: "We will not rest until all [prisoners] are freed, and the prisons are emptied."
Lyrics: "We are pledged to the promise and the revolution. Our hearts are full of faith.”[Official PA TV, May 2012 – June 2019]
This video originally aired on May 7, 2012 and was rebroadcast 11 times in 2012 and twice on Jan. 30, 2013, once in 2014, 3 times in 2015 on Fatah-run Awdah TV and 8 times on PA TV, and 4 times in 2019, most recently on June 2, 2019.
The terrorist murderers Alashakeen chose to glorify are:
Ibrahim Hamed - serving 54 life sentences for planning suicide bombings, including at Hebrew University (9 murdered), Cafe Moment (12 murdered), Cafe Hillel (7 murdered), Zion Square in Jerusalem (11 murdered).
Abbas Al-Sayid - serving 35 life sentences for planning the suicide bombing at the Jewish Passover dinner in Netanya in 2002, in which 30 Israelis were murdered. He was also responsible for a suicide bombing in Netanya in 2001 in which 5 were murdered.
Nasser Awais - serving 14 life sentences for planning terror attacks in which 13 civilians were murdered, including an attack at a private Bat-Mitzva celebration and the murder of a baby in 2002.
Marwan Barghouti - serving 5 life sentences for planning terror attacks in which 5 were murdered.
Yasser Abu Bakr - responsible for murdering 2 in terror attack in Netanya in 2002.
Ahmad Sa'adat - serving 30 years for heading the terrorist organization PFLP. Was honored by the PFLP during a televised ceremony for planning the assassination of Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze'evi in 2001, but he has not been tried for that crime.
Fuad Al-Shubaki - served 17 years for involvement in the Karine A Affair in 2002, in which 50 tons of illegal weapons were found aboard a Palestinian ship.
Official PA TV highlighted another of Alashakeen’s songs as one of the ”songs of the revolution.” It mentions that “the fire ignited and the rifle sang ," and PA TV told viewers:
Text on screen: "The song 'The fire ignited and the rifle sang' - whose lyrics were written by poet Ahmad Dahbour, and which was composed by artist Hussein Nazek, performed by the Alashekeen band - is one of the songs of the revolution."
[Official PA TV, Dec. 29, 2022]
PMW exposed a performance of this song in the Gaza Strip, which included additional lyrics of Alashakeen’s song, announcing that ”the dawn of freedom is painted with blood”:
Lyrics: "The fire has ignited and the rifle has sung
O homeland, ask for the young people and have hope
The fire has ignited from Acre to Tira (i.e., Israeli cities)
A handful of children who were raised on a mat...
[The children] have grown older and not forgotten the land
Who could forget the Paradise of Palestine? …
O homeland, ask for the young people and have hope...
Self-sacrificing fighters have appeared, and woe to those who ignore it:
The dawn of freedom is painted with blood
The fire has ignited and the rifle has sung"[Official PA TV, Nov. 10, 2022]
Alashakeen has also performed a song about 3 murderers who participated in the 1929 Arab massacre of the Jews in Hebron. The three are among the “heroes” the PA glorifies as a policy:
“Palestinian poet Ibrahim Touqan immortalized the three Martyrs in his poem ‘Red Tuesday,’ which was sung by the Alashekeen band, and at its start it says: ‘Three men who competed over death, and their feet rose above the hangman’s neck.’”
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, June 18, 2022]
The poem/song glorifies the 3 murderers as “role models” who “competed over death” when they awaited their execution by the British (see below):
Lyrics: “There were three men who competed among themselves over death. Their feet rose above the neck of the hangman, and they became role models.”
[Fatah’s Information and Culture Commission, Facebook, Feb. 8, 2022]
One additional Alashakeen song exposed by PMW is the following, which official PA TV broadcast when the PA boycotted the Bahrain Conference (June 25-26, 2019). The conference focused on economic aspects of then US President Trump's then undisclosed peace plan – “the deal of the century” - and discussed how to bring prosperity to the Palestinians. The song demonizes Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu as "darkness" and "a monster with horns dragging a tail”:
Lyrics: “[Whether you] carry your weapons or not
Tomorrow a stream of the great people will roar
It will roar towards Palestine and has been singing this revolution for years…
The Darkness sends its messengers
Tell him, Son of the Sun, tell him
Tell him: Leave, O Darkness! Stop trying in every way
Monster with horns dragging a tail
Break its horn and cut off its tail!
The merchant has changed his tune
My country's ear no longer heeds him…
He knocks on the door with his fangs”[Official PA TV, June 20 and throughout 2019;
Jan. 28 (twice), 29, Feb. 11, Sept. 15 (twice), 2020]
The excerpts of the lyrics by Alashakeen above provide a pointer to what Abbas meant when he said that Hussein Mundhir (and thereby Alashakeen) “enriched the national culture and the Palestinian popular art” and expressed “the sacrifices made by our people, its resolve, and its acts of heroism”:
- The band lamented three murderers of Jews who were executed in 1929 = The Palestinian people’s “sacrifices”
- It urged armed “struggle” and “Jihad” = The Palestinian people’s “resolve”
- And it praised 7 terrorists – 6 murderers and a weapons smuggler = The Palestinian people’s “acts of heroism”
The following is a longer excerpt of Abbas’ statement:
Headline: “The [PA] president eulogizes great artist and Palestinian pan-Arab fighter Hussein Mundhir ‘Abu Ali,’ and expresses condolences over his death”
“Yesterday, Monday [Sept. 18, 2023, PA] President Mahmoud Abbas announced the death of the artist of the Palestinian revolution and head of the Alashekeen band, great Palestinian and pan-Arab fighter Hussein Mundhir ‘Abu Ali,’ who passed away two evenings ago on Sunday, to our Palestinian people in the homeland and diaspora, to our Arab nation, and to the free people in the world.
The president said: ‘Palestine has lost one of its loyal fighter sons who dedicated his life to the Palestinian revolution. This is throughout a career of art and struggle, during which he served as an artistic example that will remain forever in our people’s collective national consciousness.’
The president added that through his national songs, the late artist turned the history of the modern Palestinian revolution, its battles, and its acts of heroism into a living image, and this is through the Alashekeen band, to whose name the late artist’s name was connected.
The president praised the great role of the departed, after he enriched the national culture and the Palestinian popular art through his national songs, which expressed the sacrifices made by our people, its resolve, and its acts of heroism…
It should be noted that in 2018 President Abbas presented fighter artist Hussein Mundhir with the Order of Culture, Science, and Arts.”
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Sept. 19, 2023]