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The Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority (PA), Dr Mohammed Shtayyeh, has hailed the terrorists who killed Lucy, Maia and Rina Dee as “righteous martyrs” on his official Arabic-language Facebook page and wished them “glory and eternity”.
Maia, 20, and Rina, 15, died at the scene on 7th April after Palestinian gunmen opened fire on their car in the northern Jordan Valley as they travelled to Tiberias for a family holiday. Their mother, Lucy, succumbed to her wounds on 10th April.
The Hamas terrorist operatives who carried out the attack, Hassan Katnani and Maed Mitsri, were killed alongside Ibrahim Hura, a third senior operative who aided them, in a raid in Nablus, West Bank on 4th May. They were shot in an exchange of fire with Israeli forces at their hideout, where two M-16 rifles and an AK-47 were later found.
PA Prime Minister Shtayyeh shared a Facebook post on 4th May that praised the attackers, featuring their photographs. The Prime Minister added the following remarks in Arabic: “Glory and eternity to our righteous martyrs and shame to the criminal occupation. This morning, the occupation resumed its attack against our people in Nablus, to honour three martyrs, namely: [Maed Mitsri, Hassan Katnani and Ibrahim Hura]”.
The post was reported by Palestinian Media Watch but remains on the Prime Minister’s Facebook page.
Glorification of terror and violence against Israel and Jews has been extensively documented in the PA-controlled media as well as in school textbooks. Senior PA leaders frequently praise terrorists as “martyrs” and deny Jewish ties to holy sites. Official PA schools, streets and sporting events are named after terrorists, and the PA continues to pay salaries to convicted terrorists. Prisoner salaries directly reward terrorists who have killed Israelis, with higher monthly payments given to those who have killed more Israelis.
