The Palestinian Authority (PA) continues to glorify terror and martyrdom – specifically to its impressionable youth, Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) reports Monday.
At a ceremony last week, Governor of Ramallah Laila Ghannam called suicide bomber Ayyat Al-Akhras – at age 17, the youngest female Palestinian suicide bomber – and other terrorists “brave heroes.”
“Yesterday, we received more [bodies] of our brave heroes’ – Ayyat Al-Akhras and the bodies of Martyrs (Shahids) who sacrificed their pure blood so we will live in freedom,” Ghannam stated, on a live PA state television broadcast of the ceremony. PMW provided the translation of her remarks. “Allah willing, we will remain committed to their promise and make tombs that will befit their stature.”
Ayyat Al-Akhras was a terrorist who detonated her suicide vest at a supermarket in Kiryat HaYovel in 2002, murdering two and injuring 28. Her body was returned to the PA as a ‘gesture’ earlier this month.
Other dignitaries present at the ceremony included PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, PA Mufti Muhammad Hussein and PA Minister of Agriculture Walid Assaf.
Akhras’ attack gained particular attention overseas due to her young age – she was 18 when she carried out the attack – and the fact that one of her victims, 17-year-old Rachel Levy, was roughly the same age.
She also killed security guard Haim Smadar. Smadar’s quick thinking during the attack saved many more lives: he noticed that two Arabic-speaking women had left the area after speaking to Akhras, and managed to prevent her from entering the store, where her bomb could have caused many more casualties.
Fatah, the PA’s ruling party and the party of Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, has previously glorified Akhras as a “master of the world.” PA officials have declared that the teen “died a martyrs’ death.”
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