Israel Defense Forces, January 17, 2003
Iraq Solidarity Week is expected to begin officially today (Friday) in the
Palestinian Authority areas. A senior Israeli security source recently stated that
the PA is allowing a wave of anti-American sentiment to rise and is doing
nothing to prevent ruthless incitement, including public calls for carrying out of
terror suicide attacks against Americans.
On 10 January, the Islamic terror organization – Hamas held a rally in support of
Iraq in the Jabalya Refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip, attended by 3,000
supporters. Participants waved slogans such as “Death to USA” and “Victory
from Jerusalem to Baghdad.”
During the rally Abbed el-Aziz Rentisi, a leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip,
stated in his address, “I call on Iraq to establish an army of future martyrs
(suicide terror bombers) and to prepare tens of thousands of explosive belts.
Explode next to American soldiers. Blow them up in Baghdad. I call upon
all Arab states to scorch the earth the Americans walk on in every Arab capital city.”
Rentisi also published a statement on the Internet site of “El Merkaz el Philistine
el Aalam (The Palestine Public Relations Center) calling on the Iraqi regime “to
establish a suicide army that will strike fear in the hearts of the enemy. There is
no choice but to set up thousands of secretly operating suicide cells with
thousands of explosive belts equipped to cause meaningful results”, he wrote.
According to Rentisi, “the quickest way to reach Paradise is to sacrifice
yourself in Allah’s name.”
Sheikh Yassin, the leader of Hamas, also stated on 10 January on the Internet
site at www.alsarifah.org/il: “the Iraqi people must become human bombs,
using belts and suitcases aimed at killing every enemy that walks on the earth
and pollutes it.”
Iraq Solidarity Week
Abdullah Khurani, chairman of the State Council of the Palestine National
Council, announced the establishment of a committee to monitor activities that
will be conducted during Iraq Solidarity Week, which will commence on 17
January. These activities will take place at various locations in the Gaza Strip
under the banner “Iraqi Days in Palestine.” Abdullah Khurani called on the
Palestinian public to take part in activities that identify with Iraq against the
American-British attack.
This monitoring committee was set up during a meeting of the Palestine
National Council to defend Iraq, in collaboration with the Supreme Monitoring
Committee of the “National Islamic Forces”, several ministers and members of
the Palestinian parliament and the legislative council.
Expressions of support for Iraq during commemoration of Fatah Movement
anniversary.
On 17 January a public rally was held under the auspices of the Popular
Committee for the Support of Iraq.
During a demonstration in Nablus marking Fatah day a large picture of Saddam
Hussein was displayed beside a picture of Arafat. Demonstrators in Khan Yunis
waved the Iraqi flag together with the Palestinian flag.
Opinion poll in the territories: most Palestinians supports Iraq
A public opinion survey conducted by the Palestinian Center of Public Opinion
Survey, run by Nabil Kokhli, an economist from Beit Sahur, indicates an
increase in the Palestinian public’s support of Iraq against the US.
Of those questioned, 36.9% strongly side with Palestinian support of
Iraq if it is attacked by the US, while 28.7% agree with this to a certain extent;
9% are moderately against it and 12.8% are absolutely against such support.
The survey’s findings indicate a rise in support for Iraq from 61.2% (in the
previous survey) to 65.5%.
Expressions of support for Iraq and attacks on US in sermons in mosques
In a Friday sermon delivered by Sheikh Muhammad Hassin, director and cleric at
the El-Aksa mosque and identified with the aforementioned Palestinian
Authority, he strongly condemned the war the US is preparing against Iraq and
criticized the belligerent intentions of the US and its allies.
He accused the US and its allies of planning a war designed to conquer
the region and its countries, despite Iraq’s full cooperation with UN inspectors,
and of fabricating false accusations concerning weapons of mass destruction in
Iraq. The cleric attacked the “imperialistic infidels” who are trying to uproot
Moslems from their land, and called on Moslems not to lend a hand to these evil
intentions and to remain steadfast in their faith.
The cleric spoke of a picture of Mohammed that he claimed had been published
in an American newspaper, portraying the prophet driving a truck loaded with
explosives. This bears witness, he claimed, to the evil, racist and hostile
intentions of the Americans.
He attacked the Americans, calling them Moslem-haters conducting a
campaign of flagrant defamation of Islam and Moslems. In the face of this
defamation there is no choice but to wake up the nation to defend its faith,
prophesy, land and history, particularly since the war is not aimed at Iraq, but
against the entire Islamic and Arabic nation.
This is from the Friday sermon delivered at the Sheikh Ajlin Mosque in Gaza by
the cleric Ibrahim Mediras, which was broadcast on Palestinian Television on 27
December 2002:
“Even our enemy, the United States, the greatest and mightiest country
on earth, does it possess the components of a pure society? It is strong on the
outside, but inside, its society is rife with abomination – every moment acts of
murder, rape and armed robbery take place. This is a country that is crumbling,
which with Allah’s help will collapse, as long as it aims its weapons at weak
and poor Moslems and Arabs.”
On 23 August 2002 Sheikh Mediras spoke out on a live broadcast on
Palestinian Television: “With Allah’s help, the US will fall, because it acts
against Palestinians and Moslems.”