New York – Thousands of Palestinians took to the streets of Kabatiya, south of Jenin, Wednesday night to celebrate last week’s suicide bombing in the Israeli city of Hadera by a member of Islamic Jihad and local resident, Hassan Abu Zeid. Five Israelis were killed and over 30 wounded in this terrorist attack.

According to a detailed report by Israeli Arab journalist, Khaled Abu Toameh, “Chanting Allahu Akbar (God is great), some 3,000 people, including Fatah and Islamic Jihad gunmen, converged on Abu Zeid’s home to ‘congratulate’ his family on the success of the attack … They also called for more suicide attacks in Israel. ‘With blood, with soul, we redeem Hassan,’ the crowd chanted. ‘Oh Jihad, Jihad, give us more [suicide] bombings. Oh [Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon, prepare more coffins’ … Abu Zeid’s mother, Um Hassan, said she was proud of her son for what he did. Her husband, Ahmed, a blacksmith who was later arrested by the IDF, greeted the well-wishers with tears in his eyes. ‘I’m proud of my son and hope that he will enter heaven,’ the mother declared. ‘We’re all your sons,’ shouted one of the men as several women ululated in an expression of joy.” (Jerusalem Post, October 27).

ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, “The hate-filled scenes of joy in the violent deaths of Israelis described in Abu Toameh’s report reveal starkly that the culture of hatred and incitement to murder that pervades Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian Authority (PA) is producing terrorism and bloodshed and celebration of these gruesome deeds.

“These celebrations are not the activities of a hateful few. They are the widespread, shameless public expression of Palestinian joy at the murder of Jews that has been promoted in the PA’s media, mosques, schools and children camps. We should not be surprised that indoctrination and hate-filled propaganda produces terrorism and glorification of such acts.

“If Israelis celebrated in the streets cheering with joy at the news of Palestinians killed and calling for Mahmoud Abbas to prepare more coffins, it would be a disgrace and a major scandal. However, when Palestinian Arabs routinely celebrate the deliberate murder of Israelis, it barely rates a mention. This means that the world is simply getting accustomed to terrorist brutality against Jews and the hatred of societies that produce it. Until and unless the world puts pressure on Mahmoud Abbas and the PA for their failure to end incitement to hatred and violence, we can expect no progress towards peace.”