PA head Abbas condemns Bnei Brak attack, as his men celebrate it
Palestinian Authority (PA) head issued a rare statement on Tuesday night in which he condemned the deadly terror attack in Bnei Brak, in which a terrorist from the PA shot and killed five victims, including three Israelis and two Ukrainian citizens.
Photo by Hillel Maeir/TPS
In his unusual statement, Abbas “stressed that the killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians will only lead to further deterioration of the situation, especially as we are approaching the holy month of Ramadan and the Christian and Jewish holidays.”
He then warned against “attempts by Israeli settlers and other sides to exploit this condemned incident to carry out attacks and reactions against our Palestinian people.”
He pointed out that “the cycle of violence confirms that permanent, comprehensive and just peace is the shortest way to provide security and stability for the Palestinian and Israeli peoples and the peoples of the entire region.”
A PA source told TPS Wednesday morning that Abbas’ condemnation “is intended to send a message to the PA security services and Fatah that they must act resolutely to prevent a deterioration, as the events could greatly deteriorate the status and situation of the PA.”
While Abbas condemned “the killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians,” members of his Fatah movement celebrated the five deaths.
The head of Fatah in Jenin, Ata Abu Ramilhaba, came to the home of terrorist Dia Khamarsha and said that the terrorist was a member of the Fatah movement, which is headed by Abbas.
“This hero died a martyr’s death in a heroic act, murdered five Zionists, and is one of the movement’s heroes. When Fatah carries out terrorist attacks, it carries out high-quality attacks against the accursed Zionists.”
PA Arabs, marching with yellow Fatah flags, held celebratory processions that included the distribution of sweets and shooting in the air.
Similarly, the PA, led by Abbas, will pay Khamarsha’s family a monthly stipend it pays to the families of terrorists killed while attacking Israelis or imprisoned following terror attacks.
Israel has repeatedly warned that these payments serve as an incentive to carry out terror attacks, countries around the globe have condemned this conduct, but Abbas and the PA have refused to stop it.
Other Palestinian terror organizations welcomed the attack, the third deadly attack in Israel in a week’s time.
Islamic Jihad official Ahmad al-Madall stated that “this action comes after two welcome actions [terror attacks]. It emphasizes that the stage is the stage of resistance by all means and above all the armed struggle in our lands in ’48,” meaning areas in Israel.
He was referring to the attacks in Hadera and Be’er Sheva, which claimed the lives of six Israelis.
Hamas spokesman Abd Latif al-Qa’una declared that “Iron will be defeated only with iron, their entity [Israel] will remain under the blows of the youngsters [terrorists].”
