Fatah Central Committee Member Honors Mother Of Three Palestinian Islamic Jihad 'Martyrs,' Praises Family's 'Pioneering Role'

To mark the four-day Eid Al-Adha holiday, which this year began August 31, on September a delegation from Fatah Gaza headed by Fatah Central Committee member Ahmad Hilas visited Umm Ibrahim Al-Dahdouh, the mother of three top officials of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's armed wing, the Al-Quds Brigades, killed in Israeli army bombings during the Second Intifada, in 2004 and 2006. The visit took place on September 4, 2017. Umm Ibrahim is often called "the Khansaa of Palestine," especially by Islamic Jihad members, after early Islamic poet Al-Khansaa bint Omar, who celebrated the martyrdom of her four sons who died waging jihad.

During the visit, Hilas, on behalf of Fatah, awarded Umm Ibrahim a certificate of appreciation, called for "continuing in the path of the martyrs," and stressed "the pioneering role of the Al-Dahdouh family in service of the [Palestinian] cause and the Palestinian revolution." Members of the family underlined that they would "not hesitate to sacrifice what is beloved and dearer than anything for the sake of Palestine and its capital, Jerusalem." They thanked Hilas for "the honorable gesture expressing the link to Palestine and loyalty to the martyrs."[1]

Fatah's honoring of the mother of three Islamic Jihad officials who planned and carried out attacks against Israel expresses yet again that Fatah, which is headed by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud 'Abbas, supports terrorism. This is not the first time that Fatah has honored top activists from other Palestinian factions who were involved in military activity against Israel.[2]

Fatah Central Committee member Ahmad Hilas (second from left) giving certificate of honor to Umm Ibrahim. (image: wattan24, September 4, 2017)

The following is a review of the coverage of the Fatah delegation's visit and of other statements by Umm Ibrahim.

The delegation's visit was covered by both the Palestinian Authority (PA) press and by Fatah websites. A report by the official PA news agency Wafaa, which was also republished by the PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, was headed: "Fatah Honors Umm Ibrahim Al-Dahdouh, the Mother of the Martyrs."

Al-Hayat Al-Jadida report on the Fatah delegation's visit: "Fatah Honors Umm Ibrahim Al-Dahdouh, the Mother of the Martyrs." (Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, PA, September 6, 2017)

Hilas during the visit (image: wattan24, September 4, 2017)

As noted, three of Umm Ibrahim's sons were top officials in Islamic Jihad's military wing, the Al-Quds Brigades, and had planned and carried out attacks against Israel. According to a report on the Islamic Jihad website, Saraya.ps, Khaled Al-Dahdouh, aka Abu Al-Walid, commanded the Islamic Jihad military manufacturing and technical units, and planned attacks against Israeli military outposts and settlements in the Gaza Strip.[3]

In an Al-Jazeera TV interview that aired June 6, 2006, Khaled said that the aim of the Al-Quds Brigades was to expel the occupier from the land of Palestine – "Palestine in its entirety, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River."[4]

For a MEMRI TV Clip with excerpts from the interview, click on the player below:

Khaled's brother Muhammad Al-Dahdouh, aka Abu Ubayda, played a key role in the Islamic Jihad's development of missiles and rockets. The third brother, Ayman Al-Dahdouh, was likewise active in the military manufacturing unit and participated in planning "many operations against the Zionist enemy."[5]

"The martyr commander Khaled Al-Dahdouh, 'Abu Al-Walid'" on the website of the Al-Quds Brigades (image: saraya.ps, January 3, 2017)

Umm Ibrahim: "Adhere To The Path Of Jihad And Martyrdom"

Umm Ibrahim has been the guest of honor at various Islamic Jihad events, and was chosen queen of the October 21, 2016 festival marking the organization's 29th anniversary. In an interview, she told the Falastin Al-Yawm news agency, which is close to the organization, that "choosing resistance" – that is, armed struggle against Israel – is "the only choice that can lead to the restoration of Palestine and to liberation from the hooves of the Zionist enemy." She added: "A path that is not that of resistance is wrong and suspect... We encourage you to adhere to the path of jihad and martyrdom."[6]

Umm Ibrahim at Islamic Jihad event (image: saraya.ps, October 22, 2016)

On a visit to Al-Quds Brigades fighters during Eid Al-Adha in 2012, Umm Ibrahim said: "We came here to hand out sweets and holiday cakes to the hero fighters on the front lines, to bless them, and to strengthen their resolve, so they may continue on the path of the mighty martyrs. We must show steadfastness. This is our fate on Palestinian soil... If I avoid sacrificing my sons as martyrs for Allah, and other [mothers] do the same, how will Palestine be liberated, and how will its majesty, glory, and Arabness be restored?"

At the end of the visit, the mothers of the martyrs and the mujahideen prayed together that Allah would "ensure the success of the mujahideen"; "make their blows hurt the enemy"; "consider their fighting on the front lines as [part] of their good deeds, and as a thorn in the throat of the criminal Zionists"; "liberate the Al-Aqsa Mosque and all of Palestine, unlock the chains of the prisoners, heal the sick, and cause the oppressed throughout the earth to succeed."[7]