There are still people in the West who believe that the Palestinian Authority is “moderate” in its views, and that Mahmoud Abbas is a fit interlocutor to help achieve “peace” between Israelis and Palestinians. But the great satisfaction expressed by Fatah officials — Fatah is the most important component of the PA — about the Hamas murders of almost 1000 Israelis, close to 850 of them civilians, should end forever that misapprehension. More on what Fatah officials have said up to October 8 can be found here: “Fatah calls to expand war to West Bank – ‘confrontation in all arenas,’” by Nan Jacques Zilberdik, Palestinian Media Watch, October 8, 2023:
Yesterday [Oct. 7], the Hamas terror organization surprised Israel with a massive attack from the Gaza Strip and Israel is now at war.
This morning Israelis were notified that at least 300 Israelis had been murdered – since then that number has risen to 600 [1000 by 3 p.m. Oct. 10] – and nearly 2,000 wounded, in addition to nearly 100 [now 150] Israelis taken hostage, some of whom were abducted into the Gaza Strip, including small children, teenagers, and senior Israeli civilians as well as soldiers.
Early Saturday morning approximately 200 Hamas terrorists broke through Israel’s security fence at the Gaza Strip border and launched a surprise attack, murdering or taking hostage every Israeli civilian they saw, while taking control of several Israeli towns on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. Hamas terrorists also fired at least 3,000 rockets at Israeli population centers. In response, Israel has launched Operation Iron Swords to counter the Hamas terror threat.
The massacre on Israel is fully supported by the PA and Fatah.
While Israel counted more than 600 dead, 2,000 wounded, and around 100 hostages, a Fatah official said that this is a “morning of victory, joy, and pride.” He then urged all Palestinians to participate in the terror against Israel – in what he termed “this story of heroism”:
Fatah Jenin branch member Abd Al-Rahman Abu Al-Rub: “We say to our people and to the members of the Palestinian people: A morning of victory, and morning of joy, a morning of pride (refers to Hamas terror massacre; see note below -Ed.). We ask Allah to send a blessing to our heroic Martyrs in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and wherever the Palestinian people is… We in the Fatah Movement in the Jenin district convey the message to all our brothers and to all our Palestinian people that they are compelled to take action and participate in this story of heroism with the Palestinian people that is realizing its natural right to fight the occupation and liberate the occupied lands.”