Senior Fatah Official Mahmoud Al-Aloul Praises Terrorist: We Are Proud; He Exercised the Choice of the People

In a video that was uploaded to the Fatah movement's Facebook page on March 23, 2019, Fatah Central Committee Deputy Chairman Mahmoud Al-Aloul praised Omar Abu Laila, the Palestinian terrorist who killed a soldier and a civilian at Ariel Junction in the West Bank on March 17, 2019 and who was killed by Israeli forces two days later. Al-Aloul said that the name "Omar Abu Laila" has had significance for Fatah since its beginning and added: "This young man exercised the choice of the people [that] represents… all the youth of Palestine."

Mahmoud Al-Aloul: Although it hurts us to part with this beloved person, this fedayi that we are proud of beyond limit, Omar Abu Laila… I want to say to you that for us in Fatah, that name has carried a great meaning since our first days. We had in Fatah a well-known fedayi whose name was Omar Abu Laila. He had been a role model for other fedayeen, and he was martyred in a battle in Jenin in the early days of the movement. He was part of the Palestine Liberation Army in Iraq and trained countless fedayeen. After he was killed, many of them named their sons Omar Abu Laila, or they adopted that name for themselves within the movement. This name, Omar Abu Laila, is a name that always inspires. Despite the pain [of his death], he causes spirits to rise – this young man, Omar Abu Laila, who we are proud of beyond limit. This young man exercised the choice of the people, this choice that represents all of you that are fighting and all the youth of Palestine.