Mahmoud Abbas, President, State of Palestine delivers a speech remotely at the UN General Assembly 76th session General Debate in UN General Assembly Hall at the United Nations Headquarters on Friday, September 24, 2021 in New York City. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI Pool via REUTERS

Intent on assuring the Palestinian people that he continues to support terrorists, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas made some propaganda phone calls to parents of recently killed terrorists — “martyrs” as he calls them — and had them broadcast to the entire Palestinian public on official PA TV News.

Following the death of two terrorists — one a stabber, the second an Islamic Jihad shooter — Abbas called to console their fathers. Abbas expressed his pride in the dead terrorists, calling them “heroes” and “Martyrs of Palestine,” thereby stressing the PA’s ideology that death for “Palestine” is honorable and heroic.

Below is an excerpt of Abbas’ condolence call to the father of Israa Khzaimiah — a 30-year-old female terrorist who attempted to stab Israeli security officers near Jerusalem’s Old City on September 30, 2021. The officers shot and killed her in self-defense:

PA President Mahmoud Abbas: “Allah will increase your reward over our Martyr [Israa Khzaimiah], the Palestinian people’s Martyr … Allah will let her dwell in Paradise, and certainly her place is in Paradise because she is a Martyr of Palestine and Jerusalem.”

Father of terrorist Israa Khzaimiah: “Thank you Mister President. You are considerate and good-hearted, and you are our father.”

Abbas: “This is my duty and even more than that. I always bow to our male and female heroes.”

[Official PA TV News, Oct. 3, 2021]

Abbas also made a condolence call to the father of Alaa Zayoud, a 22-year-old terrorist and Islamic Jihad member who shot at Israeli soldiers during a violent riot at the village of Burqin near Jenin on September 30. The soldiers shot and killed him in self-defense:

Abbas:“I want to console you and console myself, and to console the entire people over our Martyr [Alaa Zayoud] … Allah willing he will reach Paradise with the Martyrs, prophets, and righteous … What Allah decrees is the best fate … we are proud of him and he lifts up our heads.”

[Official PA TV News, Oct. 3, 2021]

Abbas’ popularity is at an all-time low since he canceled PA elections in April, and now almost 80% of Palestinians want him to resign as PA president, according to a Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research released on September 21.

Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) has documented that official PA TV is actively promoting Abbas and trying to boost his popularity. For example, PA TV has broadcast — almost 50 times since June — a short video praising Abbas for various achievements, among them his promise to never stop paying salaries to terrorists, even if he is left with only “one penny”:

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PA TV narrator: “Armed with the power of the right, adhering to the national principles, defying the political pressures, defending Jerusalem … Despite the blackmail, he defends the right of the Martyrs, the wounded, and the prisoners.”

Mahmoud Abbas: “A blessing is sent to our loyal Martyrs, our prisoners, and their families, who are standing firm and bearing their suffering with patience. We say to them, to the families of the Martyrs, that we will defend their rights regardless of the price we’ll have to pay. I won’t submit to what Israel has requested. I won’t submit. Even if I’m left with one penny, I’ll pay it to the families of the Martyrs, to the prisoners, and to the wounded, and I won’t withhold this from them.”

See PMW’s analysis discussing the impending political turmoil after Abbas leaves office.

Shortly after the call to the families of the terrorists, Abbas met with the Israeli Ministers of Health and Regional Cooperation, and an additional member of the Israeli parliament. While Abbas had just praised terrorists, following the meeting, the Israeli Minister of Health tweeted, “We have taken another step to deepen the cooperation with our closest and most important neighbors.”

A version of this article was originally published at Palestinian Media Watch, where the former is the founder, and the latter a contributing author.