Palestinian Leader Expresses ‘Great Sorrow and Deep Anguish’ Over Death of Terrorist

A condolence letter from Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas to the family of a terrorist killed trying to run over Jews expresses “great sorrow and deep anguish.”

According to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MERI), a non-profit organization that translates Arab and Persian media, Abbas sent the letter on March 6, 2016 to the family of Amani Hosni Jawad Al-Sabatin. Two days before, on March 4, Sabatin was killed after she attempted a car-ramming attack against a group of Israeli soldiers at Gush Etzion junction, just south of Jerusalem.

In his letter, Abbas—who has frequently been referred to by press and policymakers as a “moderate”—calls the deceased terrorist a “martyr who quenched the land of Palestine with her pure soul.” After expressing his sorrow and anguish, the PA leader states:

“I beseech Allah the Exalted and the Omnipotent to bestow upon this martyr His many mercies, and may she rest in Paradise. May Allah fill your heart with forbearance and consolation.”

This was not the first instance of Abbas glorifying terrorists, live or dead. As CAMERA has noted (“Where’s the coverage? Abbas is No Angel,” May 20, 2015) Abbas has praised Dalal Mughrabi, a terrorist who helped perpetrate the 1978 Coastal Road Massacre that murdered 38 Israelis, including 13 children. He had similar kind words for Nazi collaborator Haj Amin al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem. Abbas called al-Husseini—who organized attacks against Jews in British-ruled Mandate Palestine and was wanted by Yugoslavia for recruiting Muslims into Adolf Hitler’s SS during World War II—a “pioneer” on official PA TV on Jan. 4, 2013.

On Feb. 4, 2016, Abbas hosted 11 families of Palestinians killed while attacking Israelis in his office (“Palestinian official takes time off from glorifying terrorists,” The Hill, Feb. 12, 2016).

The Interim Agreement of the Oslo Accords of Sept. 28, 1995 states that the PA and Israel “shall seek to foster mutual understanding and tolerance and shall accordingly abstain from incitement, including hostile propaganda, against each other and, without derogating from the principle of freedom of expression, shall take legal measures to prevent such incitement by any organizations, groups or individuals within their jurisdiction.”

The agreement was signed by Abbas’ predecessor, Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) head Yasser Arafat—who reaffirmed the Palestinian commitment on Jan. 15, 1997 in a Note for the Record attached to the Hebron Protocol.

Abbas also signed the Interim Agreement on behalf of the PLO, having served as the head of group’s Negotiating Affairs Department during talks between Israel and the United States. Yet, unlike his letters in Arabic to the families of terrorists, Palestinian anti-incitement commitments have been better known in English.

The same day that MEMRI’s translation of Abbas’ letter praising al-Sabatin was made public, a senior aide to Abbas named Husam Zomlot told The Wall Street Journal, “Over the next 10 months [of the current U.S. administration], President Obama could be the savior of the two-state solution or bury it (“White House Working on Renewed Mideast Peace Push,” March 8).” When it comes to burying peace, Abbas seems more than ready to affix his signature.