Palestinian Children Wear Suicide Belts to Celebrate Fatah’s Anniversary

On January 7, 2016 Palestinian Arab children in Bethlehem wore models of “suicide belts” to celebrate the 51st anniversary of Fatah (a reverse acronym for Arabic Harekat at-Tahrir al-Falastiniyyeh [Palestinian Liberation Movement], the meaning of that reverse acronym is translated as “conquest by means of jihad” or simply “conquest”), the movement which includes the majority of members of the Palestinian Authority (PA), including its president, Mahmoud Abbas.

According to a report by Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), a non-profit organization that monitors Arab media in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria), the Gaza Strip and eastern Jerusalem, masked Palestinian children carried models of “suicide belts,” “RPGs [rocket propelled grenade launchers]” and guns.

PMW notes that the official PA daily newspaper, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, reported:

“Children were seen carrying models of RPGs and explosive belts, and they all walked through the alleys of the refugee camp in the procession, during which the sound of songs of the national revolution were heard.”

The PA daily described the rally as attracting thousands for a “huge ceremony” to honor the 51st anniversary of Fatah’s first terror attack against Israel, referred to as the intilaqa (launch). The intilaqa occurred when Fatah attempted to bomb Israel’s National Water Carrier on Jan. 1, 1965.

PMW notes that PA officials, such as Head of the General Intelligence Services, Majed Faraj, and Minister of Tourism, Rula Ma’ay’a, attended the event.

Pictures from Ma’an, an independent Palestinian news agency that operates with the acquiescence of the repressive PA, show Palestinian children in marital poses and marches, with many wearing masks embroidered with skulls. CAMERA has previously noted how Hamas, the U.S.-designated Palestinian Arab terror group that rules the Gaza Strip, holds summer camps to train children to be terrorists (“Hamas Summer Camp,” July 9, 2015).

The actions of both Hamas and Fatah seemingly violate the United Nations 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child. The convention defines child soldiers as combatants under the age of 15; the images from Fatah’s celebrations show masked children who appear to be under 15.

Highlighting the celebrations, Fatah’s official Facebook page showed images of a “mourning tent” for recently slain Palestinian terrorists who were killed attacking Israelis. Among the terrorists honored by Fatah with a tent was Nashat Melhem. Melhem, an Israeli Arab, shot and killed two Israelis in a Tel Aviv bar on Jan.1, 2016, and wounded eight others. Melhem was killed on January 8 after firing on Israeli security forces searching for him.

According to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), a non-profit organization that monitors Arab and Iranian media, Melhelm was re-listed by the PA’s Health Ministry as a “martyr” on January 9. The ministry keeps a register of those “martyred” in terror attacks against Israel. Melhelm was originally on the list, then dropped—only to be placed back on following “a wave of criticism against the PA on social media, as well as a scathing condemnation from the deputy chairman of the Palestinian Legislative Council, top Hamas official Ahmad Bahr.”

In addition to children emulating suicide bombers and Facebook posts glorifying murderers, PMW has noted that on January 4, Fatah’s Awdah TV channel ran a music video that called for Palestinian Arabs to “drown” Israelis “in a sea of blood, kill them as you wish.”

PA President Abbas, has denied that the authority is inciting violence against Israelis. The day before Fatah’s celebrations in Bethlehem, he claimed in the same city, “We will always support non-violent struggle.”

Jan. 9, 2016 marked the eleventh anniversary of Abbas being elected to a single five-year term. The PA head, whose government has previously arrested Palestinians for “liking” Facebook posts critical of the authority, has refused to stand for re-election (“Palestinian imprisoned for Facebook ‘Like,’” The Jerusalem Post, March 31, 2013).

This post was updated on Jan. 18, 2016