Article In Qatari Daily Calls Deadly Terrorist Attack On Two Israeli Civilians A 'Heroic' And 'High-Quality' Operation

On August 22, 2023 the Qatari daily Al-Watan published an article by Palestinian journalist Aiman Abu Nahia praising the August 19 terror attack in the Palestinian town of Huwara, in which two Israeli civilians, father and son, were murdered as they waited for their car to be washed. Abu Nahia calls the attack a "heroic" and "high-quality" operation and assesses that it will prompt further attacks of the same kind. He praises the terrorist for his successful planning and for the "brave," "calm" and "accurate" implementation of the attack despite the "massive presence" of Israeli troops in the area and the security coordination between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel. The attack, he adds, is a message from the Palestinian people, that nothing can stop the resistance, which is the choice of the young Palestinian generation, and that the resistance can strike anywhere and anytime, including in the most vital and sensitive locations.

It should be noted that, as documented by MEMRI over the years, the Qatari press regularly publishes articles praising jihad and armed struggle against Israel and encouraging terror within it.[1] Moreover, Qatar has for years been sheltering Hamas leaders, extending economic aid to Hamas and backing its armed action against Israel.[2] In addition, Qatar supports, sponsors and funds the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), founded in 2004 by the extremist Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradawi. The union provides Hamas with religious legitimacy and consistently promotes an extremist discourse of hate, incitement, antisemitism, calls for jihad, encouragement of armed struggle against Israel, and antisemitism.[3]

The article in the Qatari Al-Watan daily

The following are translated excerpts from Aiman Abu Nahia's article:[4]

"The heroic operation in Huwara on Saturday [August 19], in which two settlers were killed, reflects the pulse of the Palestinian public and its genuine inclination to avenge the blood of the martyrs that is shed every day in the occupied [West] Bank by the occupation and the settlers… The Huwara operation was high-quality because it caused fatalities to the occupation despite all the capabilities, military equipment and security measures employed in the occupied West Bank, especially in Nablus and in Huwara, [a town] that produced fida'i [i.e., self-sacrifice] operations already in February 2022. The Palestinian resistance has repeatedly operated in Huwara, thus opening the door wide to further fida'i operations that announce the failure of the PA's and Israel's security services, which were surprised by the courage of the attacker and did not anticipate [the operation]. This was especially [impressive] given that the occupation forces and the security forces of the PA are widely deployed in areas where fida'i operations have taken place. They have boosted their security presence in the large cities, chiefly in Nablus, Jenin, Tulkarm, Jericho, Hebron and Ramallah, in order to stop the resistance and prevent further fida'i operations against the settlers.  

"But previous fida'i operations have taught us that the last word in this struggle is always said by the fida'i who carries out the operation, for he is the one who chooses the time and place and accurately carries out [his plan] and successfully reach the target despite the security obstacles and complications.

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"The man who carried out [this attack] clearly followed in the footsteps of the martyr 'Abd Al-Fattah Harusha, who was responsible for the first Huwara operation in March 2023 [sic], in which two settlers were killed.[5] [The August 19 attacker] ignored all the security measures taken by the two parties involved in the security coordination [i.e., Israel and the PA], and  continued to his destination, proceeding to the site of the operation on foot with his weapon in hand, bravely, quietly and very calmly. He executed it skillfully,  so much so that he then managed to quietly withdraw from the scene and possibly managed to return safely to his base.

"This is a tremendous achievement for the executor of this well-planned operation, demonstrating his bravery in the field, his tactics, his advance preparation and planning, and his active and effective use of his weapon – as evident from the number of fatalities. Add to this the difficult geographic conditions, the massive presence of armed settlers who pass through [the town] as they move between several settlements, and the existence of an occupation army base around the spot, [since] the occupation has transformed the main road [of the town], near the settlement, into an army base where its patrols and special forces move to and fro – all of which makes it difficult to carry out operations there…      

"Given its timing, the Huwara operation is a message from our [Palestinian] people, that it opposes the principle of the security coordination with the occupation, and that all of [Israel's] military and political efforts and discussions with the countries of the region will not be able to stop the resistance, which has become the chosen option of the young Palestinian generation, the generation of resistance that has rejected the outlook of [U.S. General Kieth] Dayton[6]…

"The success and precision of the Huwara operation, carried out in an area… with such difficult security conditions, is a tremendous accomplishment for the man who planned and executed it. The fact that it took place near a security base of the occupation, surrounded by cameras and warning devices, poses a huge challenge for the Zionist intelligence apparatus and is a message from the resistance, the gist of which is that we have the power and ability to deliver a blow anywhere and at any time, and can reach the most vital and sensitive Zionist areas and hit them…  

"This means that the attacker planned and executed the attack very well, while the Zionist intelligence slept soundly, oblivious to what was going on around it. This reflects the brittleness of Israel's security and intelligence apparatus, which has no idea where, how and when the next attack will occur…"