Palestinian Authority President 'Abbas Orders Rebuilding Of House Of Latifa Abu Hmeid – Mother Of Six Terrorists Who Were Involved In Shooting And Suicide Attacks – After It Was Demolished By Israel

On December 15, 2018, Palestinian President Mahmoud 'Abbas ordered to rebuild the home of Latifa Abu Hmeid, the mother of six terrorists who were involved in shooting and suicide attacks against Israelis. The house, in the Al-A'mari refugee camp, was demolished by the Israeli army after Latifa's son, Islam Abu Hmeid, killed an Israeli soldier. Senior Palestinian Authority (PA) and Fatah officials also visited Abu Latifa to express their solidarity, and posts on Fatah's official Facebook page lavished praise on her.

Latifa Abu Hmeid, known as Umm Nasser, is also called "the Khansa' of Palestine," after 7th century Arabic poet Al-Khansa' bint ʿAmr, who was called "The Mother of the Martyrs" because she did not mourn the death of her four sons in the Battle of Qadisiyah, but rather thanked Allah for honoring her with their martyrdom. As stated, six of Abu Hmeid's sons, members of Fatah and Hamas, were involved in the murder of Israelis:

1. 'Abd Al-Mun'im Abu Hmeid was active in the Hamas military wing, the 'Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, and was killed by Israel. He assisted in the murder of three Israelis in the West Bank on December 14, 1990 and the murder of another Israeli on February 13, 1994.

2. Nasser Abu Hmeid, one of the founders of Fatah's military wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, was a deputy to Marwan Barghouti, Fatah Secretary-General in the West Bank during the Second Intifada, and took an active part in the lynching of two Israeli soldiers in Ramallah on October 12, 2000. He is serving seven consecutive life sentences and an additional 50 years for the murder of seven Israelis and 12 additional attempted murders.

3. Sharif Abu Hmeid was active in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades and supplied weapons and assistance for the execution of terror attacks in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv during February and March 2002. He is serving four consecutive life sentences.

4. Muhammad Abu Hmeid is serving two consecutive life sentences plus 30 years for planning suicide attacks for the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades.

5. Nasr Abu Hmeid was active with Nasser in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades and is currently serving five consecutive life sentences for planning suicide attacks.

6. Islam Abu Hmeid killed an Israeli soldier by dropping a slab of marble from the roof of a building in Al-A'mari in May 2018. In 2004-2008 he served a prison sentence for a shooting attack he perpetrated on behalf of Hamas.

It should be noted that 'Abbas has met with Latifa Abu Hmeid several times. She praised him for supporting the prisoners, while he promised her that "there will be no peace agreement without the release of all the prisoners and detainees." Other Fatah and PA officials have visited her as well, and have called her a role model for every Palestinian mother and "a paragon of Palestinian womanhood."[1]

'Abbas's order to rebuild Abnu Hmeid's house, and the expressions of praise for her and solidarity with her on the part of Fatah officials, come against the backdrop of the recent spate of terror attacks in the West Bank and Fatah's applaud for their perpetrators and calls to escalate the confrontation with Israel.[2]

This report presents Fatah and PA reactions to the demolition of the Abu Hmeid home.

'Abbas Calls To Rebuild The Home Of The "Fighting Abu Hmeid Family"

Immediately after the razing of the house, Fatah Central Committee member Hussein Al-Sheikh announced that 'Abbas had ordered to rebuild the home of the "fighting Abu Hmeid family."[3] Minister Walid 'Assaf, head of the PA Commission against the Wall and the Settlements, said that a "national committee" would be set up to handle the rebuilding as soon as possible and provide the family with alternative housing in the interim, and clarified that the Palestinian people "would not countenance the collective punishment policy employed by the occupation towards women and children to appease the settlers". 'Assaf commended the residents who resisted the demolition of the house with all their might and praised "'Umm Nasser' Abu Hmeid, the mother of the martyrs and prisoners, for her steadfastness and valor."[4]

Fatah Deputy Chair Mahmoud Al-'Aloul: Latifa Abu Hmeid Is The Mother Of US All

Senior Fatah officials, including the movement's deputy chair, Mahmoud Al-'Aloul and Central Committee member Jamal Al-Muhaisen, visited Latifa Abu Hmeid and her family to pay their respects. Al-'Aloul stressed that "the occupation continues to commit crimes against the Palestinian people, the most recent of which was the demolition of the home of 'Umm Nasser Abu Hmeid in the Al-A'mari refugee camp in Ramallah..."

He added: 'Umm Nasser is the mother of us all...We are all have a duty to care for her and rebuild her home... Every time the occupation destroys her home, we will rebuild it."[5]

Fatah Deputy Chair Mahmoud Al-'Aloul with Latifa Abu Hmeid (Image: Facebook.com/officialfateh1965, December 15, 2018)

Fatah Central Committee member Jamal Al-Muhaisen paying his respects to the Abu-Hmeid family (image: Facebook.com/drjamalalmuhisinfateh, December 15, 2018)

Speaking on Palestinian television, Latifa Abu Hmeid herself said: "We will not fall and will not surrender. My home was sacrificed for the sake of Palestine and its people, and we will rebuild what the occupation has destroyed. This is our land, and as long as the occupation exists, we will resist it."[6]

Banners In Praise Of Latifa Abu Hmeid On The Official Fatah Facebook Page

The following banners in praise of Latifa Abu Hmeid were posted on the official Fatah Facebook page:

 "They demolished my home, but they did not break my spirit" (Facebook.com/officialfateh1965, December 15, 2018)

Latifa Abu Hmeid, "the Khansa' of Palestine" (Facebook.com/officialfateh1965, December 15, 2018)