Dalal Mughrabi. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

A $655 million judgment levied by an American jury last month for its involvement in facilitating terrorist attacks a decade ago apparently did little to persuade the Palestinian Authority (PA) to stop glorifying terrorists.

The PA recently dedicated a monument in Ramallah to terrorist Dalal Mughrabi, who led a 1978 bus hijacking attack that killed 37 Israeli civilians, Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) reports.

The Mughrabi Square monument features a large map of “Palestine” that includes the entire State of Israel, and an image of Mughrabi holding a rifle. This is yet another clear example of the Palestinian Authority glorifying terrorists who murder Israeli civilians and denying Israel’s right to exist in any form. And it’s the latest in a series of honors the PA has bestowed upon Mughrabi’s memory.

Palestinian Authority TV News also featured prominent statements glorifying Mughrabi and encouraging future similar attacks.

“It is an eternal day and a painful anniversary, but [it also] gives us energy, honor and power on this day, the anniversary of the Martyrdom of the fighter commander Dalal Mughrabi. She who commanded a squad of self-sacrificing fighters, defined ‘return’ [of refugees] in her own unique way and returned to Palestine to liberate Palestine,” said Rabiha Dhiab, former Minister of Women’s Affairs.

In addition, the PMW report cites an orthodox Christian cleric who said: “Dalal, God bless her, this female Martyr, she taught us how to liberate the homeland. She, who founded the Republic of Palestine on one of the buses of Palestine. We all see her as a model and as a symbol for us.”

Fatah’s official Facebook page also announced the dedication of the monument to Mughrabi, referring to her as a “Martyr” and the terrorist attack as “the heroic coastal operation.”

In 2010, the Palestinian Authority announced plans to name the square after Mughrabi. But PA President Mahmoud Abbas cancelled the dedication after U.S. pressure, including a letter signed by 20 U.S. congressmen condemning the glorification of Mughrabi’s attack.

This latest glorification comes amid increased U.S. pressure on Israel to engage in concessions to the Palestinians. It remains to be seen if similar pressure will be applied to the Palestinians for continuing to incite violence against Israelis. And it comes less than a month after a Federal jury in New York found the PA liable for supporting terrorist attacks between 2001-04. While the evidence suggests the PA stopped that practice after founding leader Yasser Arafat’s death, the incitement to violence against Israelis and the granting of hero’s status to terrorists continues.

Click here for a comprehensive list of recent examples of Palestinian incitement.

Steven Emerson is the Executive Director the Investigative Project on Terrorism (www.investigativeproject.org) where this article first appeared.