RSS
Palestinian Authority Official: ‘Heroes’ Welcome’ Planned for Released Terrorists
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appoints Mohammad Mustafa as prime minister of the Palestinian Authority (PA), in Ramallah, in the West Bank March 14, 2024 in this handout image. Photo: Palestinian president office/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
With fanfare and fervor, a senior Fatah official has hailed the release of convicted terrorists as a moment of triumph for the “giants of loyalty, sacrifice, and resolve.”
As Fatah calls for the “freedom of all our heroic prisoners,” the celebration leaves little doubt that Fatah sees these terrorist murderers not as criminals, but as champions.
Contrary to the pro-peace image it is trying to transmit, the Palestinian Authority (PA) is showing its great support for the terrorist prisoners being released in the exchange deal between Israel and Hamas.
Right after the deal was signed, the PA’s Governor of Tulkarem announced that all terrorists would be given “a heroes’ welcome”:
Tulkarem District Governor Abdallah Kmeil: “[In the ceasefire deal] 296 prisoners [i.e., terrorists] who were sentenced to life [will be released] … Thousands of blessings to the prisoners’ relatives …
Undoubtedly, we will accord them a heroes’ welcome, and they deserve to be greeted and we have a plan to welcome everyone. In the Tulkarem district we will greet them at Tulkarem district headquarters.” [emphasis added]
[PA Tulkarem District Governorate, Facebook page, Jan. 18, 2025]
Senior Fatah official Tawfiq Tirawi celebrated the release of terrorists and murderers, glorifying them as “the giants of loyalty, sacrifice, and resolve,” and deserving of “blessings”:
Posted text: “[Israel] surrendered to a prisoner exchange deal due to our people’s mighty resolve… This led to the collective freedom of thousands of prisoners, including hundreds who were given life sentences and heavy sentences, some of whom had even served more than 40 years in prison.
Despite the pain, wounds, loss, and destruction, this freedom of the giants of loyalty, sacrifice, and resolve is worthy of joy, despite the great pain.
These mighty released prisoners deserve blessings … The Palestinian people will not stop its struggle.” [emphasis added]
[Fatah Central Committee member Tawfiq Tirawi, Facebook page, Jan. 25, 2025]
The Revolutionary Council of PA Chairman Abbas’ Fatah Movement issued a statement “sharing in the joy” over the release of the “heroic” terrorist prisoners and vowed to continue “the struggle through all legal means” — a Palestinian term that endorses and promotes the use of terror against Israel:
Posted text:“The Fatah Revolutionary Council shares in the joy of our people and the families of the prisoners who were released and blesses them.
The Revolutionary Council emphasizes our people’s insistence on the freedom of all our heroic prisoners from the occupation’s prisons, the continuation of our national struggle through all legal means to stop the Israeli aggression…” [emphasis added]
[Fatah Commission of Information and Culture, Facebook page, Jan. 25, 2025]
Many of the released terrorists who have murdered the largest number of Israelis have been expelled to foreign countries.
But that did not stop Director of PLO Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs Qadura Fares from traveling to Egypt to honor the terrorist murderers. He smilingly posed with them for pictures, all wearing scarves featuring the PA map of “Palestine” that erases Israel:
Posted text: “Pictures from the reception by Director of [PLO] Commission of Prisoners’ [Affairs] Qadura Fares for prisoners who were released in the first round of the exchange process in Cairo”
[PLO Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs, Facebook page, Jan. 26, 2025]
Meeting with the French consul earlier, Fares expressed his satisfaction with Hamas terrorists successful holding of the Israeli hostages.
Fares stated his belief that in later stages of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas “symbols and leaders of the prisoners’ movement” such as Marwan Barghouti who planned terror attacks in which five Israelis were murdered, will be released:
Fares explained to [French Consul General in Jerusalem] Nicolas [Kassianides] that Israel … was forced to finalize the deal to bring back the Israeli prisoners [sic., hostages], whom the Palestinian resistance factions succeeded in holding for more than 15 months, and whom the occupation regime was unable to bring back despite the war of annihilation whose price we are still paying until today…
Fares emphasized that the second round [of the ceasefire] after the first six weeks of the exchange process at this stage, which will take place this Saturday evening or in the early morning hours of Sunday, will be different because it will include prisoners [i.e., terrorists] who were sentenced to life imprisonment or those who have been sentenced to long-term punishment, and this will pave the way for additional rounds in which symbols and leaders of the prisoners’ movement will be released, foremost among them prisoner leader Marwan Barghouti [i.e., terrorist, orchestrated three attacks in which 5 were murdered]. [emphasis added]
[PLO Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs website, Jan. 23, 2025]
Abbas’ advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habbash likewise conveyed the “joy” for the release:
Al-Habbash: “The entire Palestinian nation is experiencing mixed emotions these days. Joy for the release of the prisoners, this batch of prisoners, because every prisoner that is released from the occupation’s prisons is an achievement for us as Palestinians, as a people, as a cause, as a struggle, and as a national project.”
[YouTube channel, Jan. 25, 2025]
Among the PA officials who have rejoiced over the release of terrorists is the PA’s governor of Ramallah, Laila Ghannam, who showed her joy and support by visiting terrorists in the hospital as Palestinian Media Watch exposed last month.
Ghannam’s directorate further posted statements by Ghannam, praising released terrorists who served life sentences as “heroes” and “symbols of resolve and defiance”:
Posted text: “Upon receiving these released heroes, Ghannam emphasized that the prisoners are symbols of the struggle and resolve of the Palestinian people in the face of the cruelty of the occupation [i.e., Israel], and added that loyalty to them is a national and moral duty that our people will never neglect…
She added: ‘These prisoners who spent decades behind the bars of the occupation are a symbol of resolve and defiance, for despite their long suffering, their high morale is a message of hope to our people that freedom will arrive without a doubt.‘” [emphasis added]
[Ramallah and El-Bireh Governorate, Facebook page, Jan. 25, 2025]
The author is a senior analyst at Palestinian Media Watch, where a version of this article was originally published.
The post Palestinian Authority Official: ‘Heroes’ Welcome’ Planned for Released Terrorists first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself. Really?
JNS.org – If I asked you to name the most famous line in the Bible, what would you answer? While Shema Yisrael (“Hear O’Israel”) might get many votes, I imagine that the winning line would be “love thy neighbor as thyself” (Leviticus 19:18). Some religions refer to it as the Golden Rule, but all would agree that it is fundamental to any moral lifestyle. And it appears this week in our Torah reading, Kedoshim.
This is quite a tall order. Can we be expected to love other people as much as we love ourselves? Surely, this is an idealistic expectation. And yet, the Creator knows us better than we know ourselves. How can His Torah be so unrealistic?
The biblical commentaries offer a variety of explanations. Some, like Rambam (Maimonides), say that the focus should be on our behavior, rather than our feelings. We are expected to try our best or to treat others “as if” we genuinely love them.
Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, in his classic text called the Tanya, argues that the actual feelings of love are, in fact, achievable provided that we focus on a person’s spirituality rather than how they present themselves physically. If we can put the soul over the body, we can do it.
Allow me to share the interpretation of the Ramban (Nachmanides), a 13th-century Torah scholar from Spain. His interpretation of the verses preceding love thy neighbor is classic and powerful, yet simple and straightforward.
“Do not hate your brother in your heart. You shall rebuke him, but do not bear a sin because of him” by embarrassing him in public. “Do not take revenge, and do not bear a grudge against your people. You shall love your fellow as yourself, I am God” (Leviticus 19:17-18).
What is the connection between these verses? Why is revenge and grudge-bearing in the same paragraph as love your fellow as yourself?
A careful reading shows that within these two verses are no less than six biblical commandments. But what is their sequence all about, and what is the connection between them?
The Ramban explains it beautifully, showing how the sequence of verses is deliberate and highlighting the Torah’s profound yet practical advice on how to maintain healthy relationships.
Someone wronged you? Don’t hate him in your heart. Speak to him. Don’t let it fester until it bursts, and makes you bitter and sick.
Instead, talk it out. Confront the person. Of course, do it respectfully. Don’t embarrass anyone in public, so that you don’t bear a sin because of them. But don’t let your hurt eat you up. Communicate!
If you approach the person who wronged you—not with hate in your heart but with respectful reproof—one of two things will happen. Either he or she will apologize and explain their perspective on the matter. Or that it was a misunderstanding and will get sorted out between you. Either way, you will feel happier and healthier.
Then you will not feel the need to take revenge or even to bear a grudge.
Here, says the Ramban, is the connection between these two verses. And if you follow this advice, only then will you be able to observe the commandment to Love Thy Neighbor. If you never tell him why you are upset, another may be completely unaware of his or her wrongdoing, and it will remain as a wound inside you and may never go away.
To sum up: Honest communication is the key to loving people.
Now, tell me the truth. Did you know that not taking revenge is a biblical commandment? In some cultures in Africa, revenge is a mitzvah! I’ve heard radio talk-show hosts invite listeners to share how they took “sweet revenge” on someone, as if it’s some kind of accomplishment.
Furthermore, did you know that bearing a grudge is forbidden by biblical law?
Here in South Africa, people refer to a grudge by its Yiddish name, a faribel. In other countries, people call it a broiges. Whatever the terminology, the Torah states explicitly: “Thou shalt not bear a grudge!” Do not keep a faribel, a broiges or resentment of any kind toward someone you believe wronged you. Talk to that person. Share your feelings honestly. If you do it respectfully and do not demean the other’s dignity, then it can be resolved. Only then will you be able to love your fellow as yourself.
May all our grudges and feelings of resentment toward others be dealt with honestly and respectfully. May all our grudges be resolved as soon as possible. Then we will all be in a much better position to love our neighbors as ourselves.
The post Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself. Really? first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
‘Nonsense’: Huckabee Shoots Down Report Trump to Endorse Palestinian Statehood
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee looks on during the day he visits the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem’s Old City, April 18, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
i24 News – US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Saturday dismissed as nonsensical the report that President Donald Trump would endorse Palestinian statehood during his tour to the Persian Gulf this week.
“This report is nonsense,” Huckabee harrumphed on his X account, blasting the Jerusalem Post as needing better sourced reporting. “Israel doesn’t have a better friend than the president of the United States.”
Trump is set to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. The leader’s first trip overseas since he took office comes as Trump seeks the Gulf countries’ support in regional conflicts, including the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and curbing Iran’s advancing nuclear program.
However, reports citing administration insiders claimed that Trump has also set his sights on the ambitious goal of expanding the Abraham Accords. These agreements, initially signed in 2020, normalized relations between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan. The accords are widely held to be among the most important achievements of the first Trump administration.
The post ‘Nonsense’: Huckabee Shoots Down Report Trump to Endorse Palestinian Statehood first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
US to Put Military Option Back on Table If No Immediate Progress in Iran Talks
US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy-designate Steve Witkoff gives a speech at the inaugural parade inside Capital One Arena on the inauguration day of Trump’s second presidential term, in Washington, DC, Jan. 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria
i24 News – Unless significant progress is registered in Sunday’s round of nuclear talks with Iran, the US will consider putting the military option back on the table, sources close to US envoy Steve Witkoff told i24NEWS.
American and Iranian representatives voiced optimism after the previous talks that took place in Oman and Rome, saying there was a friendly atmosphere despite the two countries’ decades of enmity.
However the two sides are not believed to have thrashed out the all-important technical details, and basic questions remain.
The source has also underscored the significance of the administration’s choice of Michael Anton, the State Department’s policy planning director, as the lead representative in the nuclear talks’ technical phases.
Anton is “an Iran expert and someone who knows how to cut a deal with Iran,” the source said, saying that the choice reflected Trump’s desire to secure the deal.
The post US to Put Military Option Back on Table If No Immediate Progress in Iran Talks first appeared on Algemeiner.com.