Murderer of 37, Including 12 Children, Is a Role Model for Palestinian Women at University
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by Itamar Marcus
Palestinian demonstrators display a poster showing terrorist Dalal Mughrabi alongside the late PLO leader Yasser Arafat. Photo: File.
At Palestinian universities, Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah Movement has a committee for female students, called “The Sisters of Dalal Committee” named after the notorious terrorist murderer Dalal Mughrabi.
Dalal Mughrabi is known to all Palestinians for having led the most lethal terror attack in Israel’s history (before Hamas’ Oct. 7 atrocities) when she and other terrorists hijacked a bus of Israeli civilians on vacation in 1978 and murdered 37 of them, including 12 children.
Promoting itself before the start of the academic year, the committee’s branch at Palestine Technical University – Kadoorie explained that its role is “to enhance the presence of female students and their role in university life and to open up wider spaces for them to participate, initiate, and lead.”
At a committee meeting this month, a presentation was shown that included a picture of terrorist Dalal Mughrabi in military attire and text praising her as a “symbol of heroism” who “had a role in history.” Fatah’s Shabiba Student Movement and the Student Union Council at Palestine Technical University – Kadoorie posted a short video from the meeting in which a woman is seen wearing a badge with the logo of the Sisters of Dalal that includes a picture of the murderer:
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Text on logo (top): “The Sisters of Dalal”
White text on black: “Awareness, belonging, giving”
Text on logo (bottom): “The Shabiba Student Movement – Palestine Technical University – Kadoorie”[The Fatah Shabiba Student Movement and Student Union Council at Palestine Technical University – Kadoorie, Facebook page, Aug. 19, 2026]
Texts in the presentation:
“The story began with Dalal (i.e., murderer of 37), and with the Dalal Sisters [Committee], it continues.” …
“The story began with Dalal
The story of a Palestinian woman who believed that a woman has a role in making history. Dalal Mughrabi was a symbol of heroism, belonging, and sacrifice. Today we carry her name and complete the story in our own way.”[The Fatah Shabiba Student Movement and Student Union Council at Palestine Technical University – Kadoorie, Facebook page, Aug. 19, 2026]
In an ad to students – adorned with another photo of Mughrabi, the committee specifically explains that it was named after the female mass murderer to “commemorate” her and because of her “symbolism and presence in the process of the struggle” – i.e., terror against Israel – as a woman. In other words, the committee was named “The Sisters of Dalal” because murderer Dalal Mughrabi’s terror attack is seen by Fatah as an inspiration for Palestinian women:
“The Sisters of Dalal Committee was named to commemorate the memory of the Martyr Dalal Mughrabi (i.e., murderer of 37), inspired by her symbolism and the presence of the Palestinian woman in the process of the struggle, the giving and sacrifice, which she represents.
The name [of the committee] not only expresses the commemoration of a national figure but also carries a message that Palestinian women are central partners in national, community, and organizational activities, and that new generations of female students can continue the path of giving through science, development, initiative, and leadership.”
[The Fatah Shabiba Student Movement and Student Union Council at Palestine Technical University – Kadoorie, Facebook page, Aug. 23, 2026]
In another post urging female students to register with the Sisters of Dalal, Fatah’s Shabiba Student Movement and the Student Union Council at Palestine Technical University – Kadoorie used the same photo of her and stressed that the committee carrying the murderer’s name is where “leadership is born” so that “Palestine remains the compass:”
Posted text: “The Dalal Sisters Committee is not just a student framework, but a space where initiatives are created, leadership is born, and the spirit of responsibility grows, so that Palestine remains the compass, the homeland remains the goal, and belonging remains an unchanging path.
If you believe that giving does not wait and that the homeland deserves that we invest time, efforts, and thought in it, your place is with us so that we can write together a new chapter of national and student activity.”Text on poster: “The Sisters of Dalal Committee announces the opening of registration
If you believe that giving does not wait and that the homeland deserves that we invest time, efforts, and thought in it, your place is with us so that we can write together a new chapter of national and student activity.
Register now through the link”[The Fatah Shabiba Student Movement and Student Union Council at Palestine Technical University – Kadoorie, Facebook page, July 30, 2026]
For decades Palestinian Media Watch has exposed that Dalal Mughrabi is one of the most celebrated terrorists in the PA. The PA has turned her into a glorious role model for society, and for girls and women in particular, naming at least 5 schools after her.
Earlier this year, PA and Fatah officials also sang Mughrabi’s praise when her sister, Rashida Mughrabi passed away. The official PA daily and Fatah stressed that Rashida Mughrabi was from “a fighting family,” whereas the Hebron Governorate honored her as a “Martyr” with a “legacy:”
“The deceased fighter [Rashida Mughrabi] came from a fighting family, as she is the sister of Martyr Dalal Mughrabi.”
[Official PA daily, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 3, 2026]
“Rashida Mughrabi left behind a legacy of giving and resolve, and a continuation of national memory that carried within it the legacy of Martyr Dalal, and kept the Palestinian cause alive in the heart.”
[Hebron Governorate, Facebook page, April 2, 2026]
The author is the Founder and Executive Director of Palestinian Media Watch, where a version of this article first appeared.
