Palestinian Authority: Attempted Assassination Of Right Wing Activist In Jerusalem – A Legitimate Action

The reactions of the Palestinians, especially of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and its president, Mahmoud 'Abbas, to the recent terrorist actions in Jerusalem indicate a shift in their attitude towards terrorism against Israelis. While the kidnapping and murder of the three teens in June was firmly condemned by 'Abbas, this time he and other PA officials refrained from condemning the attacks and even sent their condolences to the families of the attackers, calling them martyrs. Some PA and Fatah officials also called the killing of the attackers a heinous crime on the part of Israel, and claimed that the attacks had been a response to Israel's actions, especially vis-à-vis the Al-Aqsa mosque, warning Israel that a big conflagration may come.

The esteem in which the attackers are held by Palestinian society is evident from an argument that broke out between Fatah and Islamic Jihad, in which each movement claimed that Mu'taz Hijazi, who had attempted to murder radical right-wing activist Yehuda Glick on October 29, 2014, had belonged to it at the time of the attack.

The following is a review of Palestinian reactions to the recent attacks in Jerusalem.

'Abbas, Rajoub Send Condolences To The Family Of Terrorist Mu'taz Hijazi

After Mu'taz Hijazi, who had fired at Glick at close range, severely wounding him, was killed in a shootout with Israeli police that came to arrest him, 'Abbas condemned his killing and send a letter of condolence to his family via Jerusalem district governor 'Adnan Al-Husseini. The letter said: "It is with rage and firm condemnation that we received the news of the hideous crime of the occupation, which was perpetrated by the murderous and terroristic gangs of the despicable army of the Israeli occupation against our son, Mu'taz Ibrahim Hijazi, who ascended to heaven as a martyr while defending the rights of our people and its holy places.

'Abbas's letter of condolences to Hijazi's family (image: Amad.ps, November 3, 2014)

"We therefore convey to all of you, and to all residents of holy Jerusalem, and to [Mu'taz's] honorable family, our sincere condolences and heartfelt sorrow over his martyrdom. We emphasize to you our condemnation of this barbaric and hideous act, which joins the [other] crimes that the despicable Israeli occupation [has committed] against our people since the Nakba and the ongoing historic injustice that has been the lot [of our people] everywhere... We are confident that these actions [of the occupation] do not intimidate our Palestinian people and [only] increase its steadfastness in its homeland. We call upon all our people to maintain the national unity, preserve the achievements of our people, and pool all [our] forces and abilities in order to confront this oppressive aggression and thwart its goals, which are to harm our permanent rights and dictate our fate [as the Israelis see fit], and in order to establish an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital."[1]

On November 5, Hijazi's family published a letter thanking 'Abbas for his condolences.[2]

Fatah official and former head of the PA Preventive Security Force Jibril Rajoub likewise conveyed his condolences to the family and called Hijazi a martyr in a notice he published in the Jerusalem daily Al-Quds.[3]

Editorial In PA Daily: Hijazi Is Not A Terrorist; His Resistance Was Legitimate

After Israel protested 'Abbas's response and accused him of incitement, several Fatah members and columnists wrote in the PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida that Israel was trying to cover for its crimes and present itself as the only victim. They added that Mu'taz's action was not terrorism but a legitimate action of resistance against the occupation. An Al-Hayat Al-Jadida editorial stated: "It is amazing to see how Israel has grown so temperamental that it is unable to tolerate any word coming out of President Abu Mazen's mouth, not even the condolences he conveyed to the family of the martyr Mu'taz Hijazi. This is amazing because it demonstrates to what extent Palestinian words, and especially human [words of condolence], can undermine Israel's self-composure.

"Apparently, this is not just temperamental [behavior], but a racist and fascist ideology that is unable to recognize anyone as a victim unless he belongs to the [Israeli] camp... Israel, the Israeli settlers, and the extremist [Israeli] right do not want us to weep for our martyrs or to console [their families. In fact,] they do not want us to have martyrs and victims at all, lest their racist crimes become more and more clear. [Israel] whines and protests over the human tears [we shed over our victims] because it wants to remain the sole victim in the eyes of international public opinion and in the eyes of its own public, and to [perpetuate] the lie of the ghetto and its [other] fabrications...

"The martyr Mu'taz Hijazi is not a terrorist as long as he lives in a city that is still under occupation – because all the laws and norms, international, human, and even divine, permit him to oppose the occupier and [the occupier's] extremist organizations, especially those that strive to erase the identity of his city, Westernize it, and monopolize it in the name of religion. That is what the extremist [right wing activist] Yehuda Glick was striving [to achieve] in the holy city, whose every brick expresses its Arab, Palestinian and human identity and its tolerant divine message. This means that the extremism of the settlers that aspires to take over the holy city is to blame [for the situation in Jerusalem], and this should be the target of the Israeli anger, not ['Abbas's] letter of condolences, which was meant to embrace the family of the late [Mu'taz Hijazi], in hope of easing their pain to some extent, strengthening them and comforting them."[4]

Fatah Official: Hijazi Is Not A Murderer But A Murder Victim

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Some Fatah officials writing in Al-Hayat Al-Jadida stated that the attacks were a reaction to Israel's actions in Al-Aqsa and that 'Abbas had only carried out his duty in sending his condolences to the family. 'Omar Al-Ghoul, who served as advisor to former PA prime minister Salam Fayyad, wrote: "'Abbas is the president of the Palestinian people. He is leading [this people's] legitimate national struggle and is responsible towards every member of this people, regardless of ideological or political affiliation. He is responsible for the dreams, aspirations and goals of this people. Accepting [the notion of] peace does not mean neglecting national duties like sending condolences to [the families of] martyrs."[5]

'Adli Sadeq, a member of Fatah's revolutionary committee and an official in the PA foreign ministry, wrote: "Mu'taz, you are not a murderer. The murderers are those who assassinated you."[6]

Article In PA Daily Warns Of "Fire, Blood, Violence and Chaos [In Jerusalem] That Will Spare No One"

While Hamas and Islamic Jihad called to escalate the attacks on Israelis, Fatah and PA officials warned that if the present situation continued, it would lead to an explosion in Jerusalem. 'Abbas said at a memorial service for Yasser Arafat that the failure to reach a solution and peace would cause the areas that are burning around us to burn even hotter, while a solution would put out all the fires that have erupted."[7]

Al-Hayat Al-Jadida former editor Hafez Al-Barghouti wrote after the November 5 vehicular attack: "Jerusalem and its walls will [indeed] see a conflict, just like the right-wing [Israeli] government wants. There will be fire, blood, violence and chaos that will spare nobody. The current signs already indicate the coming tragedy. Israel must restrain its extremists and stop harming the residents of Jerusalem, the holy places and our lands, lest it face extremism that knows how to react to [its own] extremism. The [coming] days will hold surprises. Religious conflicts usually end with pulverizing and erasing. Who will do the erasing and who will be erased [in this case]?"[8]

Al-Hayat Al-Jadida columnist Hassan Al-Kashef wrote that residents of Jerusalem were acting out of fury over Israel's "desecration of Al-Aqsa": "The fury of Palestinians in Jerusalem has been exploding in the occupation's face every Wednesday for three consecutive weeks now. This fury [floods] the streets of Arab and Palestinian Jerusalem every day and every time the settlers burst into Al-Aqsa mosque, every time [Palestinians] are kept from praying [there], and after every arrest or demolition of a home."[9]

Fatah, Islamic Jihad Fight Over Mu'taz Hijazi

Following the attack on Yehuda Glick, Fatah and Islamic Jihad each claimed the attacker, Mu'taz Hijazi, as a member, which reflects the Palestinian esteem for anyone who targets prominent right-wing activists or settlers. The Islamic Jihad movement published a notice announcing his death, in which it described him as one of his activists and praised him for his action. The movement also erected a mourners' tent for his family and printed posters in his honor bearing the movement's symbol.

Posters printed by Islamic Jihad in Hijazi's honor (image: paltoday.ps, October 31, 2014)

At a rally in Gaza, Islamic Jihad official Khaled Al-Batash said that Hijazi had belonged to the movement from his youth to death, and that his action had been a natural reaction of the movement to the events in Jerusalem.[10] The movement's deputy secretary-general, Ziad Al-Nakhalah, said: "The courageous action in occupied Jerusalem and the attempted assassination of Yehuda Glick... reaffirms the just nature of the path taken by Islamic Jihad, whose highly moral choice has been to determine that its method in the war against the enemy is through the blood of martyrs and the barrels of guns. The Zionist enemy must know that Islamic Jihad, which is immersed in the war against it, will remain a bone in its throat until the goal is achieved, [namely until] Palestinian soil has been liberated to the very last grain... We shall remain loyal to the blood of Mu'taz and his brothers, and the procession [of martyrs] will continue. We in the Islamic Jihad movement promise them to remain a bone in the throat of the occupation until it is removed."[11] Al-Batash also phoned Hijazi's father and conveyed the appreciation of Gaza and of Islamic Jihad leader Ramadan Shalah.[12]

The Fatah movement, on the other hand, claimed Hijazi as a Fatah activist. 'Adnan Gheith, head of Fatah's Jerusalem branch, said that Hijazi had been "a member of Fatah and one of its activists in Jerusalem who, since his release from prison in 2012, had participated in all the movement's activities." He added: "We in the Fatah movement are not ashamed to take responsibility for this courageous act, for it was a natural reaction to the crimes of the occupation against Jerusalem and its residents."[13] A statement issued by Fatah's Jerusalem branch and posted on an official Fatah website said: "The Israeli right-wing government has escalated its policy of cruelty, of erasing the Palestinian national identity, and of neglecting the places sacred to Islam and Christianity in Jerusalem. This was done through the despicable propaganda of the prime minister of the terroristic occupation, who has declared the so-called 'Defending the Walls' campaign, as part of which his extremist ministers and droves of settlers have been permitted to take extreme measures and allow the killing of Palestinians. The attack on our brother, the released prisoner and heroic martyr Mu'taz Hijazi, who belonged to the Palestinian national liberation movement Fatah, and who was found by the arm of Zionist deception in his home in the neighborhood of Al-Thawri [Abu Tor], was the latest operation in this campaign. We in the Jerusalem branch of the Palestinian national liberation movement Fatah condemn the assassination of the martyr Mu'taz Hijazi and all Israel's acts of aggression against Jerusalem and the places holy to Islam and Christianity, first and foremost among them Al-Aqsa."[14]