​PMW Bulletins
PA sports present terrorist murderers ‎as role models
 
by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik
May 4, 2015
 
PA sports used to present terrorist murderers
as role models
 
Fatah and PLO table tennis tournament
honors terrorists who sent suicide bomber who killed 6
 
Fatah marathon honors arch-terrorist Abu Jihad
who was behind murder of 125 Israelis
 
Fatah secretary: "Abu Jihad will continue to serve
as a school for the revolution
from which the Palestinian youth will learn"
 
by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik
 
 
At Fatah's "Prisoners of Freedom Marathon and Rally," marking the anniversary of arch-terrorist Abu Jihad's "Martyrdom-death," Fatah official and Secretary of the organization's Salfit branch Abd Al-Sattar Awwad said that the terrorist remains a role model for Palestinian youth:
 
"We must continue on the path of struggle out of commitment to the heroic prisoners and loyalty to the blood of the Martyrs, who turned the suffering of our people and nation into the fuel of the revolution that ignited within our souls the [willingness to] give and sacrifice. Abu Jihad will continue to serve as a school for the revolution from which the Palestinian youth will learn. Walk on this path, armed with faith in the revolution, the struggle, and the justness of the Palestinian cause." [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 22, 2015]
 
Abu Jihad was a founder of Fatah and deputy to Yasser Arafat. He headed the PLO terror organization's military wing and planned many deadly Fatah terror attacks. These attacks, which killed a total of 125 Israelis, included the most lethal in Israeli history - the hijacking of a bus and killing of 37 civilians, 12 of them children.
 
At the tournament, Fatah official Abd Al-Hamid Al-Dik conveyed greetings from PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
 
A table tennis tournament arranged by Fatah and the PLO Commission of Prisoners' Affairs honored terrorists sentenced to life imprisonment. Two of them, Hamza Omar Shamarkha and Amjad Takatka, are serving 6 life sentences and another 20 years for their involvement in the suicide attack carried out by Andalib Takatka, who killed 6 and wounded more than 80 people on April 12, 2002. Spokesmen for the PLO Commission of Prisoners' Affairs and Fatah "emphasized the need to support the prisoners, and that they should be present in all aspects of life in the Palestinian nation," reported the official PA daily. [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 6, 2015]
 
Fatah was a patron of a chess tournament in Hebron that was named after terrorist Marwan Zalum. Zalum is responsible for numerous terror attacks that killed civilians, including an attack in 2001 that killed an infant in her stroller and a 2002 suicide bombing in Jerusalem that killed 6. Director of Fatah's Hebron branch Younes Al-Juneidi spoke at the closing ceremony about "the Martyr Marwan" and "the numerous sacrifices he made for his people." [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, May 3, 2015]
 
The Palestinian Fencing Association announced that it was holding a fencing championship named after Martyr Abu Jihad "under the auspices of [Deputy Secretary of the Fatah Central Committee and] Head of the Palestine Olympic Committee Jibril Rajoub." [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 20, 2015]
 
Last month, Palestinian Media Watch documented that Fatah held a ping pong tournament named after Abu Jihad and that Fatah and the PLO organized a sports festival that included a tournament named after two terrorists who planned and carried out some of the most lethal terror attacks in Israel's history.
 
PMW has documented many more examples of the PA and Fatah's policy of glorifying terrorist Abu Jihad and other terrorist murderers by namingsports tournaments after them.
 
Private Palestinian institutions have also commemorated and honored Abu Jihad, such as the Central Football Association, which held "the 21st Prince of Martyrs 'Abu Jihad' futsal (indoor football) youth tournament," [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 22, 2015] and the Tellvillage sports club, which held "a futsal tournament in honor of Martyr Abu Jihad and Palestinian Prisoners' Day" in the presence of Secretary of Fatah's Nablus branch Jihad Ramadan. [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 22, 2015] The Palestinian Academy of Martial Arts held "the third Prince of Martyrs 'Abu-Jihad' festival." [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 17, 2015]
 
The following are longer excerpts of the reports on the sporting events honoring terrorist murderers:
 
Headline: "The Commission of Prisoners' Affairs organized a table tennis tournament in honor of the prisoners [sentenced to] life sentences"
"In cooperation with Fatah in the village of Beit Fajjar and the Table Tennis Association, the [PLO] Commission of Prisoners' Affairs organized a table tennis tournament in honor of prisoners from the village that were sentenced to life imprisonment. Thirty-two athletes from different parts of the homeland participated in the tournament. This solidarity activity took place within the framework of a number of events for Palestinian Prisoners' Day, and the spokesmen for the Commission of Prisoners and Fatah - Munqidh Abu Atwan for the Commission, and Jawad Thawabteh for Fatah - emphasized the need to support the prisoners, and that they should be present in all aspects of life in the Palestinian nation. At the end of the tournament, a ceremony was held in honor of the prisoners Hamza Omar Shamarkha and Amjad Takatka, each sentenced to six life sentences, and Kamal Bello, sentenced to life. Likewise, prizes were given to the winners of the tournament.
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 6, 2015]
 
Hamza Omar Shamarkha - is serving 6 life sentences and another 20 years for sending the suicide bomber Andalib Takatka to her attack at Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda outdoor market on April 12, 2002 in which she killed 6 and wounded more than 80 people. 
 
Amjad Takatka - is serving 6 life sentences and another 20 years for his involvement in the suicide attack carried out by Andalib Takatka, who killed 6 and wounded more than 80 people in the suicide attack she carried out on April 12, 2002. 
 
Kamal Bello - was arrested in 2004 and is serving one life sentence. PMW has been unable to verify the exact nature of his crimes.
 
"Fatah's Salfit branch and the Shabiba [Fatah youth movement] in the Qarawat Bani HaSan [village] marked Palestinian Prisoners' Day and the anniversary of [Khalil Al-Wazir] Abu Jihad's Martyrdom-death, with the Prisoners of Freedom marathon and rally. The event, held under the auspices of District Affairs director, engineer Abd Al-Hamid Al-Dik, was attended by over 100 competitors at the district level, as well as Fatah Revolutionary Council member [and wife of Marwan Barghouti] Fadwa Barghouti, Secretary of Fatah's Salfit [branch] Abd Al-Sattar Awwad... Al-Dik expressed his pride in the Palestinian prisoners, and conveyed the greetings of the President Mahmoud Abbas. Likewise, he stressed that the President is expanding the prisoners' issue from the national to the Arab and international arenas, and referred to the President's promise that there will be no peace or negotiations without the release of the prisoners. Awwad said: 'We must continue on the path of struggle out of commitment to the heroic prisoners and loyalty to the blood of the Martyrs, who turned the suffering of our people and nation into the fuel of the revolution that ignited within our souls the [willingness to] give and sacrifice. Abu Jihad will continue to serve as a school for the revolution from which the Palestinian youth will learn. Walk on this path, armed with faith in the revolution, the struggle, and the justness of the Palestinian cause." 
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 22, 2015]
 
"On Monday [April 20, 2015] a draw took place at the Jerusalem Al-Ansar Club... for the 21st Prince of Martyrs 'Abu Jihad' futsal (indoor football) youth tournament for those born in 1996, held consecutively by the club since 1995. The tournament will be held on Friday, April 24, 2015 at the Burj Luq Luq hall, under the supervision of the Central [Football] Association and under the auspices of the Association of the Clubs of Jerusalem and athlete Khamis Dkeidek, Head of the Diving Association." 
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 22, 2015]
 
"The Tell[village] sports club held, in the presence of Secretary of Fatah's Nablus branch Jihad Ramadan, Head of the Tell Village Council Mundhir Shtayyeh, and a large number of prominent figures from the village, a futsal (indoor football) tournament in honor of Martyr Abu Jihad and Palestinian Prisoners' Day at the boys' school 'Mohammed bin Rashid' in the village."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 22, 2015]
 
Headline: "The [Palestinian] Fencing Association holds a championship [named after] Abu Jihad in Jericho"   
"The [Palestinian] Fencing Association has confirmed that a fencing championship [named after] Martyr Abu Jihad will take place at the Madinat Al-Amal compound in Jericho on Friday [April 24, 2015] at 9 in the morning, under the auspices of [Deputy Secretary of the Fatah Central Committee and] Head of the Palestine Olympic Committee Jibril Rajoub." 
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 20, 2015]
 
Headline: "The Palestinian Academy of Martial Arts opened the third Prince of Martyrs festival"
"The [President and] Head of the Board of Directors of the Palestinian Academy for Martial Arts Jihad Uweida, announced that the Board of Directors and its affiliated clubs are prepared for the opening of the third Prince of Martyrs 'Abu-Jihad' festival, for the third consecutive year, to be held on the 27th anniversary of the Martyrdom-death of Khalil Al-Wazir 'Abu-Jihad.' The tournament will take place in Jerusalem, Hebron, Ramallah and Tulkarem districts, under the generous auspices of the National Committee Against Normalization [in Palestine]." 
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 17, 2015]
 
Headline: "Martyr Marwan Zalum chess tournament under the auspices of Fatah movement"
"The Palestine Chess Federation and the Hebron Council held the Martyr Marwan Zalum 'Abu Suja' Chess Tournament at the Hebron Youth Club, under the auspices of the Fatah movement and the club and with the participation of more than 10 players. The closing ceremony was held in the presence of Fatah's Hebron branch director, Younes Al-Juneidi 'Abu Hamdi', Head of the Club's Culture Comission, Engineer Murad Abu Rajab Al-Tamimi, Samer Al-Hilwani, Ayman Al-Sha'arawi and Nasser Shahin.
Fatah's Hebron Branch Director Younes Al-Juneidi praised the Hebron Youth Club, its good administration and operation and the sacrifices made by the club's members for its promotion and development, and said that he was proud to supervise the club's football team. In addition, he recalled Martyr Marwan and the numerous sacrifices he made for his people. Subsequently, the Fatah movement honored the family of Martyr Marwan Zalum."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, May 3, 2015]
 
Marwan Zalum was the commander of the Hebron branch of the Tanzim (Fatah terror faction). He was responsible for several terror attacks in the Hebron region, including sending the terrorist who shot and killed infant Shalhevet Pass in her stroller on March 26, 2001. He also provided the explosive device used in a suicide attack at the entrance to Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda open market on April 12, 2002, in which 6 were killed and 80 wounded. He organized the planting of a bomb in southern Hebron, which killed Israeli soldier Shai Cohen on July 9, 2001, and initiated a shooting attack at the entrance to Kiryat Arba on July 12, 2001, in which 1 person was killed. He was killed by the Israeli army on April 22, 2002.