Praise, Admiration In Palestinian Authority, Jordan For Palestinian Terrorist Who Killed Israelis In West Bank

In recent days, in Jordan and in the Palestinian Authority, there have been statements of praise and admiration for Palestinian terrorist Omar Abu Laila, 19, who on March 17, 2019 shot dead two Israelis in the West Bank. Abu Laila was killed two days later in a shootout with Israeli army special forces.

This report will feature statements of support and admiration for Abu Laila in the PA and Jordan:

Fatah Facebook Page: Abu Laila, "Martyr Hero"

On March 20, 2019, following Abu Laila's death, the Palestinian Authority government and the Palestinian National Council announced his death without noting the fact that he had carried out an attack.[1] The Fatah Facebook page posted his photo, identifying him as a "martyr hero," accompanied by praise for him as a martyr, who "becomes a perfect individual whom we salute."[2]

Photo of Abu Laila on Fatah Facebook page (source: Facebook.com/officialfateh1965, March 20, 2019)

Munir Al-Jaghoub, who heads Fatah's Information Department in the Office of Mobilization and Organization, posted Abu Laila's photo on his personal Facebook page along with photos of two other terrorists who threw firebombs at IDF forces in Nablus. He added: "A rose that will not die.' Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return [Quran 2:156].'" [3]

Post on Munir Al-Jaghoub's Facebook page (source: Facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004559626345, March 20, 2019)

Writer In PA Daily: Abu Laila – "The Most Current Quality Role Model For The Creativity Of The Battle Of Palestinian Heroism"

In his March 21, 2019 column in the PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Fatah Revolutionary Council member Muwaffaq Matar connected Abu Laila's "heroism" to the heroism of the fighters in the 1968 battle of Karama in Jordan in which Palestinian and Jordanian forces fought IDF forces.[4] He wrote: "We have seen in the handsome, smiling young man Omar the most current, quality role model for the creativity of the battle of Palestinian heroism. [This role model] embodies [the fact] that willpower and faith truly overcome the weapons borne by the armored [vehicles] and airplanes of mendacity... 

"The new battle of Karama, that young Omar decided to wage, is like the battle of Karama waged by his fedayeen forefathers, 51 years ago... Omar's knife is like the weapons gathered by the fedayeen from the depots of the defeated official [Arab] armies, and the antiquated weapons that were cleaned of rust. But Omar's will and his spirit of heroism and sacrifice, which he showed at the gates of the settlement of Ariel located on the soil of [the village of] Salfit  in the Palestinian homeland, is the story of the spirit of heroism and sacrifice shown by Fatah's Palestinian fedayeen at the village of Karama in Jordan...

"The racist, colonialist occupiers will have no tranquility or stability on our land as long as young Palestinians rival each other to follow in the footsteps of the fedayeen of the battle of Karama..."[5]

Arafat Advisor: Noble Jihad Fighter, You Are The Solution To The Problem

Bassam Abu Sharif, Palestinian politician and advisor to the late Yasser Arafat, wrote on the online daily Raialyoum.com in praise of Abu Laila and his attack: "Oh full moon, noble jihad fighter, it was you who solved the problem. It was you who blazed the trail, after the ignoramuses and slaves strayed from it... You are the solution to the problem. Attack, even if your enemies are armed from head to toe... Attack [in] defense of your land, your tree, and your homeland. Attack [is the path] even if the shield of the invaders is strong, because attack is active defense of your security, and the way to preserve your rights and human dignity as well as the supreme principles taught us [by Allah] by means of the pen [i.e. scriptures].[6] Attack, because Allah is most generous, and only solid strength of will and profound faith that truth will triumph bring forth victory."[7]

Jordanian MP: We "Salute The Hero... Who Killed The Jews"; "Expel The Son Of Apes And Pigs" – i.e. The Israeli Ambassador To Jordan

On March 18, 2019, during a session of the Jordanian parliament focusing on Jerusalem, one MP, Khalil 'Attiya, opened his statements by standing and physically saluting Abu Laila, saying: "I congratulate the Palestinian people, the Jerusalemites, and the murabitat[8] in beloved Jerusalem. I stand to salute the Palestinian hero Omar Abu Laila, commander of the battle of Salfit, who yesterday killed the Jews. This salute is for you, hero. May Allah bless your hand." 'Attiya also called for expelling from the capital Amman "the son of apes and pigs" – hinting at Israel's ambassador to Jordan.[9]

Jordanian MP 'Attiya saluting Abu Laila. (Source: Royanews.tv, March 18, 2019)

In the same session, MP Dima Tahboub, spokeswoman for the Muslim Brotherhood in the parliament, praised Abu Laila's attack, saying: "This is the only reaction that the enemy understands." She went on to call for supporting the factions and weapons of the Palestinian resistance.[10]

It should be noted that this is not the first time the Jordanian parliament has provided a platform for shows of support and praise for Palestinian terrorists. In July 2017, MPs recited the opening Surah of the Quran in memory of three terrorists who carried out a shooting attack in the Al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem, killing two Israeli police officers.[11] The attackers were later shot by Israeli police. 

Praise For Abu Laila In The Jordanian Press

The Jordanian press also featured praise for Abu Laila, along with articles describing his "unique heroism."

Writer In Jordanian Government Daily Al-Rai: The Palestinian Mother Suckled Her Son On Milk Mixed With Gunpowder And Martyrdom

On March 21, 2019, journalist 'Abd Al-Hadi Raji Al-Majali, who often writes in praise of terrorists,[12] wrote in the government daily Al-Rai in praise of Abu Laila's mother: "I would like to ask Omar Abu Laila's mother: Was he born like all children, or did he leave your womb with a knife in his hand? I want to ask you – On what did you suckle him? I do not think he suckled ordinary milk. It seems that the Palestinian breast mixes milk with gunpowder and martyrdom. I doubt that this martyr was suckled on milk. He suckled something else, that made him a lion, not ordinary...

"This child defeated Israel by himself; he waged a battle with an entire army and defeated it. Omar constituted an army on his own. I think that he was no ordinary child at all...

"Apparently, Palestinian mothers are different. Oh Umm Omar, what are your fingertips made of?... Tell the people that the mothers in Palestine do not [give just] milk and embraces – they also [give] rifles and steadfastness, and blood created to flow [out] generously on the land that is the purest and most supreme..."[13]

Al-Ghad Columnist: A "Legendary Young Man" Who, With His Heroism, Set An Arab Example

On March 20, 2019, the major Jordanian daily Al-Ghad posted on its website an article on Abu Laila's death titled "Omar Abu Laila in the Heart of the Jordanians – An Exceptional Hero Who Became a Martyr." The article reviewed expressions of admiration for Abu Laila by Jordanians on social media following his death.[14]

The following day, Majed Toba wrote in his column in Al-Ghad about the anniversary of the battle of Karama and linked the heroes of that battle to Abu Laila: "The legendary young man Omar Abu Laila, the most recent of Palestine's martyrs... was martyred after killing two members of the occupying gang in the West Bank and leaving others wounded, licking their wounds. With his heroism, he set an Arab example and fanned the longing of the Arabs – from the [Atlantic] Ocean to the [Persian] Gulf – for unity of blood and destiny... around their main issue [the Palestinian cause] and their wound glowing in its redness. There is nothing like Palestine to unify the ummah, and there is nothing like it to melt all the ideological, political, and regional disputes, schisms, and rantings... Like Omar [Abu Laila], the martyrs [of Karama too] were mythological heroes..."[15]

More Praise In Jordan: "Extraordinary Hero," "Lion Of Islam"

On March 19, the Bani Hassan tribe, one of the largest tribes in Jordan, praised Abu Laila on its Facebook page, writing: "Omar Abu Laila, martyr hero, lion of Islam of the 21st century, has joined the youngest commanders in the history of humanity – lion of the ummah, cub of Islam who battled the Jewish occupiers and the [Israeli] army equipped with the newest weaponry, overcame them on his own, killed four, wounded dozens [sic], and filled the hearts of millions of them with fear."[16]

Bani Hassan tribe post (Source: Facebook.com/Zbboun.bh/, March 19, 2019)

The Bani Hassan tribe's youth organization opened a tent for receiving congratulations on the death of the "freedom-seeking lion Omar Abu Laila," in the town of Al-Hashemiyya in the Al-Zarqa governorate.[17] A sign directing visitors to the tent said: "[To] the wedding of the martyrs of Palestine"[18] – referring to the Muslim tradition that martyrs are wed to 72 black-eyed virgins in Paradise. The tradition is based on Quranic verses promising this reward to "the righteous" (Quran 44:51-54; 52:17-20), interpreted by Muslim commentators as "the martyrs."[19]

Street sign directing visitors to the Bani Hassan tribe's tent for congratulations on the death of Abu Laila (source: assabeel.net, March 21, 2019)

Additionally, a voter voting in the Jordanian Teachers' Union election wrote in Abu Laila's name on the ballot: "Omar Abu Laila, who carried out the Salfit operation, is the mightiest of teachers."[20]

Ballot cast by a voter who wrote in Abu Laila. (Source: Assabeel.net, March 20, 2019)