The opening of a hall that the Palestinian Authority named for a terrorist who killed 125 people. Photo: Palestinian Media Watch.

Israel is getting set to release over 1,900 terrorist prisoners as part of a ceasefire agreement that Palestinian Authority (PA) leader Mahmoud Abbas hopes will lead to his “revitalized” PA being given control of the Gaza Strip.

At a recent event celebrating the 60th anniversary of the launch of the Fatah party, the same Mahmoud Abbas called these terrorist prisoners “heroic” and said that they are “saluted with appreciation”:

[PA] president [Mahmoud Abbas] saluted with admiration and honor the Martyrs of the Palestinian revolution and the Palestinian people…

He saluted with appreciation the heroic prisoners in the occupation’s [i.e., Israel’s] detention facilities and the families of the Martyrs and the prisoners.

He also emphasized that their sacrifices will not be in vain, and that the Palestinian people will continue the journey of struggle until its legitimate goals are achieved, and until they win their freedom and national independence.” [emphasis added]

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Jan. 1, 2025]

Abbas reinforced the decades-old PA message documented by Palestinian Media Watch that murderers of Israelis are heroes and role models for Palestinian society.

At the same event, a member of Fatah blessed terrorist prisoners as “the proud upright ones” and “heroes,” emphasizing that “the rifle should be aimed” at Israel:

Follow-up Commission for Prisoners’ Affairs Director and Fatah member Amin Shuman: “On behalf of all of you, we send a blessing to our prisoners in the prisons of the occupation, to the proud upright ones, to the leaders who do not bow down, to you our brother Marwan [Barghouti] … To you the heroes of the prison cells… to you Zakariya Zubeidi (i.e., terrorist)… and all the heroes of the Jenin [refugee] camp, the camp of Martyr ‘Abu Jandal’ (i.e., terrorist), who all the [Palestinian] lawbreakers need to learn from him that the Palestinian rifle should only be directed towards the chest of the occupation.“[emphasis added]

[Official PA TV, Dec. 31, 2024]

Similarly, a PA district governor stressed the “honorable and noble” status of terrorist prisoners:

Salfit District Governor Abdallah Kmeil: “The prisoners are a model of nobility, honor, and purity. They are the most noble among us all, after the Martyrs. We feel all the love and appreciation for them.” [emphasis added]

[Official PA TV, Giants of Endurance, Dec. 27, 2024]

Chairman of the Palestinian National Council (the legislative body of the PLO), Rawhi Fattouh, likewise praised and “blessed” the terrorist prisoners, singling out Marwan Barghouti, who planned attacks in which five people were murdered, and Ahmad Sa’adat, who is convicted of heading the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror organization:

Fattouh: “We send our blessings to every male and female prisoner in the [Israeli] prisons …  led by Fatah Central Committee member fighter leader Marwan Barghouti and Popular Front [for the Liberation of Palestine] Secretary-General leader Ahmad Sa’adat, who represent a model of resolve and willpower…” [emphasis added]

[Palestinian National Council Chairman Rawhi Fattouh, Facebook page, Dec. 31, 2024]

These few examples of statements by top PA leaders and the fact that Fatah continues to brag about the number of terrorist murderers in its ranks stress that Israel is rightly concerned about the growing terror threat from PA-controlled areas, and is correct in its opposition to any kind of PA rule in the Gaza Strip.

The author is a senior analyst at Palestinian Media Watch, where a version of this article was originally published.