When a terrorist is killed during his/her attack against Israelis, it is Palestinian Authority (PA) policy to claim that Israel summarily executed an innocent victim. This is done in order to maintain the demonic image of Israel as a “barbarian” and “evil entity,” which randomly kills Palestinians, and to convince the international community of Palestinian victimhood.

But at the same time, the PA and Fatah need to keep the so-called “resistance” alive — in other words, terrorism against Israel.

So in order to convince more Palestinians to choose terror and “Martyrdom-death,” the PA and Fatah promote terrorists as heroes and role models for society. The PA and Fatah do this to secure their internal image as bodies that “fight the occupation,” so as not to seem weak in comparison to the terror organization Hamas, which is steadily gaining popularity over PA leader Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah faction.

The following statement by Fatah Revolutionary Council member Muhammad Al-Lahham is an expression of such image polishing.

Talking about violent confrontations in Jenin — during which Israel killed 4 terrorists — Al-Lahham stressed Fatah’s great participation in terror. He bragged that “90%” of the terrorist “Martyrs” of 2022 “were Fatah members,” and also credited Fatah with murdering “20 Israelis,” commenting that “this is a source of honor” for Abbas’ movement:

Fatah Revolutionary Council member Muhammad Al-Lahham: “The four Martyrs [i.e., terrorist murderers], yes, it’s painful. The ascent [to Heaven] of these Martyrs is painful, but they are ammunition… If we speak about 2022, around 170 Martyrs ascended [to Heaven] … Most of those who died as Martyrs while resisting, 90% of them were Fatah members. Yes. If the number of those killed among the occupation [i.e., Israelis] was 20, Fatah is the one that carried out these operations. This is a source of honor for Fatah…

Fatah even emphasizes the need to punish the occupation, and the need to take revenge for the lives of the Martyrs through its military wings, and particularly the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades … Also all the current incidents [i.e., terror attacks] confirm that the members of the [PA] security establishment have a pure self-sacrificing national faith. They are a continuation of the Palestinian revolution.They are a continuation of Yasser Arafat, Salah Khalaf, Khalil Al-Wazir, and Saad Sayel.” [Emphasis added]

[Official PA TV, Topic of the Day, Sept. 28, 2022]

As seen above, Fatah official Al-Lahham also noted the key role played by members of the PA Security Services in terrorism against Israel.

Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) has exposed that the PLO and Fatah celebrate the terrorists who are part of the PA Security Forces — forces that are trained with US funding, among others.

The PA Security Forces’ role in terror against Israel was openly acknowledged by PLO Executive Committee member and Fatah Central Committee member Azzam Al-Ahmad at a ceremony commemorating former PA and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat. He reminded the audience that PA Chairman Abbas had warned Israel that his security forces would “take action” against Israel:

[Al-Ahmad] added that two months ago President Mahmoud Abbas even asked the Palestinian [PA] Security Forces to inform the occupying government: “Do not be surprised if you discover that the Palestinian Security Forces are the ones who are taking action against you during your invasions of any refugee camp, or any village, or any farm, and during the theft of olives.”

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Nov. 14, 2022]

Fatah expressed its pride in the double role of the PA Security Forces in a video that highlights a member of PA military intelligence who murdered one Israeli, and a member of the PA Preventive Security Forces who shot at Israeli soldiers together with other terrorists. During the exchange of fire, one Israeli soldier was killed.

The video shows PA Security Forces members being given weapons and setting out on an operation. Text on the screen clarifies the primary task of the forces: “The Palestinian Security Forces: sacrifice, self-sacrifice, glory.”

“Self-sacrifice” is the term used for terror attacks, as the terrorists are willing to “sacrifice themselves” and die for “Palestine” while attacking Israelis. In text posted with the video, Fatah underscored the PA Security Forces’ participation in terror:

Posted text on Fatah Facebook page: “Let us recall our Martyrs together, the Martyrs of the Palestinian National [PA] Security Forces, who ignited the tunnel uprising [i.e., the Western Wall Tunnel Intifada] and the Al-Aqsa Intifada [i.e., PA terror campaign 2000-2005, with more than 1,100 Israelis murdered], and who to this very day are participating in the confrontation with the occupation from point-blank range.”

Text on screen: “[PA] military intelligence Martyr Ahmed Abed

[PA] Preventive Security Forces Martyr Daoud Zubeidi

Military intelligence Martyr Tayseer Ayaseh

Military intelligence Martyr Adham Aliwi”

Text on screen: “The Palestinian Security Forces: sacrifice, self-sacrifice, glory.”

[Official Fatah Facebook page, Sept. 18, 2022]

Similarly, top Fatah official and Central Committee member Abbas Zaki bragged about Fatah’s “heroic members of the prisoners’ movement” — i.e., imprisoned terrorists — and stressed that “many, many [PA] Security Forces members” were and are among them:

Posted text: “To those who accuse the Fatah Movement of not fulfilling its duty, of abandonment, and of defending the occupation — we say these are the heroic members of the prisoners’ movement who have spent dozens of years, including many, many [PA] Security Forces members, including those who have been released and those who are waiting for release soon. This is Fatah, which has sacrificed prisoners, wounded, and Martyrs for liberation and independence.”

[Fatah Central Committee member Abbas Zaki, Facebook page, Nov. 26, 2022]

When a Palestinian terrorist was killed during violent confrontations recently, the official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, highlighted the “genes of heroism” the “Martyr” shared with his “heroic” imprisoned uncle. The uncle was a member of the PA Preventive Security Forces and responsible for numerous shooting attacks during the PA’s five-year terror campaign, the Second Intifada, in which more than 1,100 Israelis were murdered in Palestinian terror attacks.

The author is a senior analyst at Palestinian Media Watch, where a version of this article was first published.

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