The Palestinian Authority (PA) honored two terrorists this month in the lead up to President Trump's visit with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian Media Watch reports.
Though Abbas tried to present a moderate stance to the American president, the PA named public squares in Jenin and Tulkarem after terrorists Karim and Maher Younes, two Israeli Arab cousins convicted in the 1980 kidnapping and murder or Israeli soldier Abraham Bromberg.
Both terrorists were sentenced to 40 years in jail.
Abbas' Fatah party and Jenin's municipal authorities sponsored one of the ceremonies.
"...Jenin District Governor Ibrahim Ramadan conveyed a greeting [expressing] honor and pride to the prisoners and their relatives on behalf of [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian leadership," the official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida reported on Friday and translated by PMW.
In Tulkarem, the public ceremony featured a Palestinian official openly supporting the PA's policy of glorifying terrorists and supporting convicted murderers.
"This is in appreciation of fighter Maher Younes... I thank the Tulkarem Municipality and all of the district's bodies for this national act of standing side by side with the prisoners and expressing support for them. We permanently stand by our fighters," proclaimed Tulkarem District Governor Issam Abu Bakr, quoted in Ma'an news on May 11.
President Trump raised concerns earlier this month over the PA's program of paying terrorists and their families.
Abbas is unlikely to end the program, with a top aide calling the idea "insane."
Amid growing pressure to halt this practice, it is important to note that Abbas is directly behind the policy concerning terrorist transfers.
He may claim that Palestinians are raising youth in a "culture of peace," but overwhelming evidence shows that the PA and other Palestinian factions systematically promote violence against Jews and Israelis. Through incitement, Palestinian leaders encourage others to follow in the footsteps of terrorists.
On Monday, a Palestinian terrorist tried to stab Israeli Border Police officers in Abu Dis – a Palestinian town east of Jerusalem – before officers shot and killed the assailant.
The attack reportedly occurred as President Trump toured Jerusalem on an official state visit. The next day, a Palestinian man stabbed and injured an Israeli police officer in Netanya, in a "probable" terrorist attack. Despite suffering a neck wound, the officer was able to shoot and injure the attacker – identified as a 44-year-old man from Tulkarem.