US President Donald Trump with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem, May 23, 2017. Photo: Shealah Craighead/White House.

JNS.org – Shadia Abu Ghazaleh was active in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror organization, building bombs and participating in terror attacks against Israel. While she was preparing a bomb for an attack in Tel Aviv in 1968, it accidentally detonated and killed her.

Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement sent “love” to Abu Ghazaleh, and called her a “heroine.” Marking the 50th anniversary of her death, Fatah stated that she is among those who “guide our path,” and honored her for being an “uncompromising and merciful young woman, who sacrificed herself for her great family.“

Here is Fatah’s posted text:

Shadia took part in a bombing operation of an Israeli bus, and also took part in and even led a number of military operations. However, fate desired that when our heroine was at her home preparing a bomb to detonate on the occupation in Tal Al-Rabia [Tel Aviv] it blew up in her hands and she died as a Martyr (Shahida). …

Today we send all of our love to Shadia — who would repeat: “If I fall, take my place, my comrade in the struggle.” …  She and those like her guide our path … [like her, they] sacrificed herself for her great family at the expense of the childhood dreams that were within her, in order to tell us: “Continue.” [A translation of the official Fatah Facebook page, November 29, 2018]

In honoring this terrorist bomb-maker, Fatah is following in the footsteps of the PA Ministry of Education, which thought so highly of Abu Ghazaleh that it named two schools after her. Palestinian Media Watch has documented that young girls who studied in one of the schools named after Abu Ghazaleh viewed her as their role model. For example, below is a transcript of a Palestinian TV show:

PA TV host: “What do you know about Shadia Abu Ghazaleh, you study in a school named after her?”

Girl 1: “Shadia Abu Ghazaleh is a model of the patriotic woman…”

Girl 2: “She was a model of the wonderful female Palestinian fighter. We follow her path in this school.”

Girl 3: “We’re happy that our school is named after a very well-known Martyr, who played a role and who did something great.”

Girl 4: “The school is named after her to commemorate her … and encourage people to be like her.”

Girl 5: “Shadia was a model for us and will remain a model for us and we will follow her path.” [A translation of official PA TV, on December 5, 2013, rebroadcast on December 9]

The students definitely know that they are praising a bomb-maker as their role model, because a mural with Abu Ghazaleh’s face and biography highlights this and appears prominently on a school wall:

You can read a full report on the subject at Palestinian Media Watch.

Itamar Marcus is a researcher and the founder and director of Palestinian Media Watch. Nan Jacques Zilberdik is a senior analyst at PMW.