In a January 17, 2013 article on a PLO-affiliated website, Ahmad Mansour Dughmush, a Fatah activist in Gaza, extolled Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade members who had carried out bombings during the second intifada, both those who were killed and those who were captured and imprisoned. Among the figures he praised were the female suicide bombers Wafa Idris (who carried out a suicide bombing on Jaffa Street in Jerusalem on January 27, 2002) and 'Andalib Al-Taqatqa (responsible for an April 12, 2002 suicide bombing in a Jerusalem market).
The following are excerpts from the article:[1]
Ahmad Mansour Dughmush
"Today we need Fatah's rifles and people more than ever. We must not disparage weapons... No one in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade or in the security apparatuses, including high ranking officials, may violate [the sanctity] of the blood of Dr. Thabet Thabet, Rawwad 'Abahira, 'Atef and Hussein 'Abiat, Marwan Zaloum, Jihad Al-'Amarin, Hassan Al-Madhoun, 'Iyyad Al-Najjar, 'Iyyad Qaddas, Hader Riyan, Majed Nattat, Muhannad Abu Halawa, 'Omar Abu Shari'a, Wafa Idris, 'Andalib Al-Taqatqa and thousands of other martyrs, chief among them [our] eternal leader Yasser Arafat, as well as thousands of prisoners who paid and are still paying the sacred price of our homeland with the prime of their youth, chief of them the leader Marwan Al-Barghouti, as well as Nasser 'Awais, Thaer Hammad, and Abu Hazem Al-Shubaki...
"Oh mighty heroes of the [West] Bank, which is dear to our hearts, we beseech you by all you hold sacred to look upon Fatah with sympathy and maintain your unity and purity. You are the people's only remaining hope in the face of the international, regional, and Arab [position] that insists on besieging our leadership [and forcing it] to submit to the dictates of the sons of Zion, who swallow land day by day in an attempt to Judaize Arab land, and to weaken and topple the National [Palestinian] Authority. Do not be a tool [in their hands] to destroy the movement. The more we mention your glorious actions in the Al-Aqsa Intifada, the more we are proud of Fatah and adhere to our rifles.
"The [PA] security apparatuses must know that the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade is the rock against which all plots are shattered. The men [of this brigade] have made the occupation's life miserable and have always avenged the people and its leaders. They are the safety valve of the homeland, and especially of Fatah.
"We must unite all Fatah forces for the sake of the movement, and recruit all leaders, field commanders, and activists to the defense of our national enterprise, our just cause and our people. [The people] pins its hopes on us, and especially on beloved Gaza, which held a mass-rally of Fatah supporters on the 48th anniversary of the movement's founding.
"We all [eventually] disappear, but, whatever happens, Fatah will remain and go down in history. We will make sure that [the annals of history] describe it in glowing letters that light the way for those who follow in our footsteps.
"Everyone must shoulder the responsibility and know that our movement needs the energy of all its men. Acting within a [united] framework is the shortest way to freedom and independence... We must encourage anyone who works to raise the banner of Fatah, and distance and punish anyone who tries to sabotage Fatah's resources or achievements. If you support Allah, He will support you. This is rule and the foundation – past, present and future. Eventually we will triumph, if we translate the word of Allah into action and stick to Fatah's principles, regulations and rules. [This movement] has restored the Palestinian honor, and still [inspires] pride in all free men..."
Endnote:
[1] Amad.ps, January 17, 2013.
