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A Despicable Name

Palestinians tarnish women’s center by naming it after a terrorist.

A

t the same time the beleaguered
leader of the Palestinian Authority
is seemingly tempering his hard-
line toward making peace with Israel,
youth in P.A.-controlled areas of the West
Bank continue to be indoctrinated to
honor the memory of a homegrown ter-
rorist.
Such indoctrination, inculcated by
the Fatah political faction heading the
P.A., speaks to just how mangled the cul-
ture of the would-be state of Palestine
truly is, infusing generations of youth
with loathing toward Zionism and the
Jewish people.
It also speaks to
the hollowness of P.A.
President Mahmoud
Abbas saying he’d no
longer insist Israel
freeze West Bank settle-
ment construction or
rail against the Jewish
state at the United
Mahmoud Abbas
Nations if such a politi-
cal posture could help
spur renewed peace talks with Israel.

in the Palestinian refugee camp
were wounded. Mughrabi died a
Sabra in Beirut, Lebanon (circa
so-called “martyr for Allah” in the
attack and was celebrated as a
1959). Ironically, she grew up
wanting to be a nurse. She would
“role model.”
become a terrorist of the highest
The head of the Burqa vil-
order after whom P.A. schools,
lage council, Sami Daghlas, told
summer camps and sports tour-
WAFA, the official P.A. news agen-
cy, that Mughrabi was chosen by
naments — even a public square
Robert Sklar
the villagers to commemorate a
— would be named. WAFA
Palestinian “hero” who sacrificed Contributing Editor
described her as “a Palestinian
herself for her “country.”
resistance fighter killed during
What balderdash.
a military operation in Israel in
In the wake of Palestinian Media Watch 1978.” The Palestinians long have used
(PMW), an Israeli news-media watchdog,
“resistance fighter” as a euphemism for
exposing that they had partially funded
terrorist.
the Dalal Mughrabi Women’s Community
Notably, the center’s naming comes
Center in January, Norway, Denmark and
amid PMW disclosure that the P.A. has
the U.N. all denounced the center’s name,
awarded the family of imprisoned ter-
bowing in part to Israeli pressure. The U.N. rorist Nasser Awais $147,000 in living
portrayed the name as glorifying terror.
expenses. Awais, a founder of Fatah’s ter-
Norway and Denmark demanded return
rorist wing, the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades,
of their funding.
was convicted following his 2002 arrest
The center officially opened in May.
for masterminding five terrorist attacks in
which 14 Israelis were murdered.
During a visit with his family, official
BENEATH THE VENEER
P.A. TV praised Awais as a “heroic prison-
Daghlas not only insisted the center’s
er” who acted on behalf of “the homeland”
name would stand “regardless of the
price,” but also declared he didn’t object to and thus worthy of glory. P.A. law, backed
by Abbas, mandates paying a substantial
ROAD TO DISASTER
giving back Norway’s “few thousand dol-
monthly salary to all Palestinian terrorists
In the latest example of truth be damned
lars,” which had been ticketed for repairs
within the P.A., the Palestinian village
and refurbishing of the building. Denmark imprisoned by Israel. Salaries, payable to
the terrorists’ families, rise as imprison-
of Burqa, near Nablus, in the
donated toward the center via a
ment lengthens. P.A. leadership denies any
northern West Bank, has named
Palestinian NGO.
intent to end such payouts despite U.S.
a new women’s center after Dalal
The U.N., no stranger to derid-
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson saying he
Mughrabi, the Palestine Liberation
ing Israel, vowed to halt further
was told they would cease.
Organization terrorist who led the
center support. Secretary-
Rewind to the Dalal Mughrabi Women’s
Coastal Road massacre near Tel
General Antonio Guterres
Community Center. Its mission appears
Aviv in 1978. She and other Fatah-
declared that glorifying terror or
affiliated terrorists hijacked a bus
its perpetrators “is unacceptable noble: “to serve and empower young
women in the village and to help them
and killed 37 civilians, 12 of whom
under any circumstances.”
Dalal Mughrabi
were kids. More than 70 people
Mughrabi was born and raised develop themselves and become active

Contributing Writers:
Joshua Lewis Berg, Ruthan Brodsky, Rochel
Burstyn, Suzanne Chessler, Annabel Cohen, Don
Cohen, Shari S. Cohen, Shelli Liebman Dorfman,
Adam Finkel, Stacy Gittleman, Stacy Goldberg,
Judy Greenwald, Ronelle Grier, Esther Allweiss
Ingber, Allison Jacobs, Barbara Lewis, Jennifer
Lovy, Rabbi Jason Miller, Alan Muskovitz,
David Sachs, Karen Schwartz, Robin Schwartz,
Steve Stein

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members in society,” according to WAFA.
Therein lies the conundrum.
In theory, young women from the
turbulent West Bank could benefit from
such a center by learning how to accli-
mate to village life and become produc-
tive villagers. In practice, against the
naming backdrop, it’s likely they’re also
being openly indoctrinated to hate and
target “the Zionist enemy.”
Consider: On the heels of the naming
uproar, the Fatah Shabiba youth move-
ment in the West Bank took pains to
proudly salute “the prisoners, wounded
and exiled, and all of our people’s fight-
ers who have paved the path to freedom
and independence for our people.” The
statement alluded to these prisoners as
Palestinian “martyrs” — another euphe-
mism for terrorists.

PRESSING ONWARD

Despite the strident move by the Burqa
village council to memorialize terrorist
Dalal Mughrabi, Israel should take the
high road and investigate claims by the
council head that Israeli settlers commit
“regular attacks” on the village and that
Israel has confiscated land belonging to
village farmers.
Chances are Sami Daghlas’ claims are
groundless; but it would behoove Israel
to confirm that on the international
stage.
It would say a lot, all good, about the
Jewish way if Israel vetted its West Bank
policies amid claims of impropriety by
the champion of a women’s empower-
ment center named for the conductor
of the most lethal terrorist attack in
Israel’s 69-year-old history. •

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June 22 • 2017

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