The Palestinian Authority's Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs held a ceremony in Gaza in honor of freed female prisoners on International Women's Day. It was aired on Palestine TV on March 8, 2021. The governor of Gaza Ibrahim Abu Al-Naja spoke on behalf of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. He condemned the new UAE ambassador to Israel and added: "Damn him and his country!"
Senior official of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) Maryam Abu Daqqa lauded Palestinian women and said that they have been an integral part of the armed-struggle and resistance against Zionism, from the early days of the "Zionist invasion" to the "modern-day Palestinian revolution." She said that Palestinian women are part of a "triangle of terror" threatening the Zionist entity – on land, at sea, and from the air. She gave the example of PFLP member Shadia Abu Ghazaleh who was killed while preparing a bomb in 1968, Leila Khaled who was the first female plane hijacker, and Dalal Al-Mughrabi who had participated in the 1978 Coastal Road Massacre in Israel.
To view the clip of the Palestinian ceremony in Gaza on International Women's Day on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
Gaza Governor Al-Naja: "Palestinian Women Have Sacrificed Like No Other Women In The World; [They] Send Their Sons... To Go [Fight] For The Sake Of Their Cause"
Announcer: "And now to the speech by President Mahmoud Abbas, Abu Mazen, which will be delivered on his behalf by the governor of the Gaza Governorate, Ibrahim Abu Al-Naja, Abu Wael, please. "
Gaza Governor Ibrahim Abu Al-Naja: "Palestinian women have sacrificed like no other women in the world. Palestinian women are still role models, because they are seekers of freedom, they are mothers, they are sisters, they are fighters, they are martyrs and they are bereaved.
"Look at how these women send their sons, one after the other, telling them to go [fight] for the sake of their cause, for the sake of freedom in the world, and for the sake of human rights.
"This is the message that the world has ignored. This is the message that was rebuffed by the enemies of our nation and our people. This is the message that our [Arab] brothers do not want to understand. They want to erase our history. This is a disgrace. We reject and condemn this and we do not want this to be recorded in the annals of our nation's history.
"Yesterday, an ambassador of a country we used to call 'brotherly' presented his credentials...
"As he presented his credentials, [UAE ambassador to Israel Muhammad Al-Khaja] said 'thank you.' He said to the leader of the Zionist entity: 'Thank you for allowing me to present my credentials.'
"Damn him and his country! You call this an Arab? You call this a human being?"
PFLP Official Maryam Abu Daqqa: "Palestinian Women Were Part Of The Path Of Struggle... From The Beginning Of The Zionist Invasion... [To] The Modern-Day Palestinian Revolution"
PFLP Official Maryam Abu Daqqa: "Palestinian women were part of the path of struggle. Ever since the beginning of the Zionist invasion as it was taking shape in the womb of the British Mandate, Palestinian women were organizing demonstrations and conferences in order to confront Zionist immigration.
"Ever since 1917, the accursed [Balfour] Declaration, and throughout the successive uprisings and revolts – the Al-Buraq [Western Wall] Uprising [in 1929], and the 1936 Revolt, [Palestinian women] were doctors, nurses, and the sold their jewelry in order to buy guns for their fighting husbands, brothers, or fathers. [Palestinian women] even took up arms and were martyred, joining the modern-day Palestinian revolution.
PFLP Official Abu Daqqa: Dalal Al-Mughrabi "Achieved Victory Over The Enemy Before Her Martyrdom, And She Outlined The Path Of Freedom And Independence With Her Crimson Blood"
"From day one, [Palestinian women] constituted a 'triangle of terror' for the Zionist entity – on land, at sea, and from the air.
"On land, [PFLP member] Shadia Abu Ghazaleh became the first female martyr of the modern-day Palestinian revolution in 1968.
"In the air, Leila Khaled was the first plane hijacker. When she was circling over Haifa, she said to the Zionist enemy, at the time it was that criminal [Moshe] Dayan: 'This is my land. My father sacrificed himself here, and he said to us: Tear our enemies apart.' Dalal Al-Mughrabi was the commander of the first military operation at sea. She led a military operation at sea, and she established the 'Free Republic of Palestine' for three hours. She killed some [Israelis] and she achieved victory.
"Even though she was martyred, she achieved victory over the enemy before her martyrdom, and she outlined the path of freedom and independence with her crimson blood."
