Fatah celebrates murder of 80 (sic) Israelis in most lethal Palestinian terror attack

"This was the most courageous victory"

by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

Yesterday, Abbas' Fatah party celebrated the anniversary of a bus hijacking in which Fatah terrorists murdered 37 Israeli civilians. On Facebook, Fatah posted a text glorifying the attack. A striking element of Fatah's glorification and celebration of the attack was the decision to exaggerate the number of Israelis killed, in order to make the "operation" seem greater and more successful: 

"A huge self-sacrificing operation in Herzliya, Tel Aviv. 80 Israelis killed and over 100 wounded." [Facebook, "Fatah - The Main Page," March 10, 2015]  

In March 1978, a group of Fatah terrorists from Lebanon hijacked a bus on Israel's Coastal Highway. Confronted by the Israeli army, the terrorists killed many of the passengers on the bus, in total 37 civilians,12 of them children, and wounded more than 70. The attack is known in Israel as the Coastal Road massacre.   

In 2010, the PA dedicated a square in Ramallah to Dalal Mughrabi, who led the attack, by naming it after her. That square was also chosen this year by Fatah for a public event taking place today, celebrating its killing of Israeli civilians:

"We will mark the anniversary of the heroic coastal operation (i.e., the Coastal Road massacre), which was led by Martyr (Shahida) Dalal Mughrabi, and the deaths as Martyrs of Dalal and her heroic friends, at 3:30 p.m. across from Martyr Dalal Mughrabi Square in Ramallah."

[Facebook, "Fatah - The Main Page," March 10, 2015]

  

Palestinian Media Watch has documented that the Palestinian Authority and Fatah present Dalal Mughrabi as a role model for Palestinians, and especially for Palestinian girls, naming at least three girls' schools after her. Last year, PA TV commemorated Mughrabi by visiting one of the schools. One student said: "My life's ambition is to reach the level that the Martyr fighter Dalal Mughrabi reached."

Yesterday, an image of terrorist Mughrabi with the text glorifying her attack was posted by Fatah on its official Facebook page. To make the "operation" seem even greater, Fatah exaggerated the number of Israelis killed:  

 

Posted text: "Urgent: A huge self-sacrificing operation (Fida'i - operation, i.e., terror attack) in Herzliya, Tel Aviv (i.e., the Coastal Road attack in 1978). 80 Israelis killed and over 100 wounded. The Palestinian flag was raised at the center of town. The commander of the cell [Dalal Mughrabi] and 12 self-sacrificing fighters (Fedayeen) died as Martyrs (Shahids), and one was wounded. She [Dalal Mughrabi] raised the flag of the [Palestinian] state, and this was the most courageous victory, March 11, 1978."

Text on image: "Dalal Mughrabi, 1958-1978"

[Facebook, "Fatah - The Main Page,"  

March 10, 2015]

Click to see more examples of PA and Fatah terror glorification

documented by PMW.

The following is a longer excerpt of Fatah's post on Facebook announcing the event glorifying terrorist Mughrabi:

Posted text: "An invitation to the public and our journalist brothers: Tomorrow, Wednesday, March 11, 2015, we will mark the anniversary of the heroic coastal operation(i.e., the Coastal Road massacre), which was led by Martyr (Shahida) Dalal Mughrabi, and of the deaths as Martyrs of Dalal and her heroic friends. [The ceremony will take place] at 3:30 p.m. across from Martyr Dalal Mughrabi Square in Ramallah."

 [Facebook, "Fatah - The Main Page", March 10, 2015]