The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has praised Palestinian villagers in the town of Azamut, near Nablus, who refused to shelter two Palestinian terrorists who had attempted to enter the nearby Jewish town of Elon Moreh to carry out an attack with knives on local Jewish residents. The terrorists were chased by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) personnel to Azamut, where the terrorists attempted to hide. They were refused shelter by several of the residents and eventually turned over to the IDF by the headmaster of the local school (Yair Altman, ‘Elon Moreh: Stabbing attack foiled; 2 arrested,’ Yediot Achronot, March 5, 2012).

ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, “We commend the Palestinian villagers and headmaster who refused to grant sanctuary to these terrorists. 

“They have shown themselves to be very different from their leaders, like the late Yasser Arafat or Mahmoud Abbas, both of whom have knowingly given refuge to wanted Palestinian terrorists in the Muqata, the PA presidential palace.

“Unfortunately, numerous pols have shown that a majority of Palestinians do not accept Israel as a Jewish state and refuse to live in peace alongside here or to abjure terrorism. Worse, they support terrorism, celebrate and glorify terrorists and hand out sweets when innocent Israelis are murdered by them.

“If more Palestinians behaved like these villagers and the school headmaster, Palestinian society would be very different, and peace might even be a real possibility.”