Mahmoud Abbas. Photo: World Economic Forum.

Two Hamas terrorists responsible for kidnapping and murdering three Israeli boys in June are being honored by the Palestinian Authority as “martyrs,” according to a Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) report.

“Shahid,” or martyr, is a designation for people who “achieve [the] highest status in Islam” and will be rewarded in the afterlife, the report said.

That’s how numerous PA officials are describing Marwan Kawasme and Amer Abuysha, both tied to Hamas terrorist activity, who were killed in a firefight last week as Israeli troops raided their hideout.

PA religious affairs minister Yusuf Ida’is referred to the terrorists as “martyrs” who were “assassinated” by Israeli forces. According to the Palestinian Ma’an news, Ida’is “denounced the heinous ‘Israeli’ crime committed by the occupation forces in Hebron…”

The official PA News agency WAFA also described the two as Shahids, without mentioning the context behind the Israeli raid.

Hailing the dead terrorists follows a long tradition within the PA, which has named schools, parks, buildings, and other public facilities after dead terrorists. And it comes as PA President Mahmoud Abbas claims to be ready to make dramatic compromises in order to reach a historic peace deal with Israel.

But Abbas’ Fatah movement condemned Israel’s targeted killing as a “cowardly execution” and official PA TV referred to the killing of the terrorists as a “cold-blooded execution.”

Denial of Hamas’ involvement in the abduction and murder of the youth is still prevalent in the PA, despite a senior Hamas official confirming that the terrorist organization was behind the attack.

Click here to see Palestinian Media Watch’s compilation  ofPalestinians’ reactions and support for the kidnapping and murder of the three Israeli students.

After the initial kidnapping, many Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza celebrated the terrorist attack. Following the Israeli raid, thousands of Palestinians mourned the deaths of the terrorists by staging a mass funeral procession.

Steven Emerson is the Executive Director the Investigative Project on Terrorism (www.investigativeproject.org) where this article first appeared.