West Bank Palestinians came out in droves on Thursday to attend the public square dedication of Fatah militant Dalal Mughrabi, New York Times reports.
Fatah "martyrs" remembered
The controversy stems from who Mughrabi was: Dalal Mughrabi is remembered as leader of a gristly 1978 Coastal Road Massacre on Israel. Mughrabi, just 19 at the time, and her comrades killed 38 Israelis, including 13 children. Israel considers Mughrabi a terrorist, but she is hailed as a heroine and a martyr in Thursday's dedication.
Fatah Central Committee member Taqfiw Tirawi says, "We are all Dalal Mughrabi," and he considers her a "fighter who fought for the liberation of her own land." Similarly, 22-year old Yara Daik says the event is not about terrorism but a women who "sacrificed for her country and is a symbol for every Palestinian girl."
Understanding the divisive nature of the event, PA political guidance chief Gen. Adnan Damiri would not be photographed at the event, but he did give a statement:
“This is part of our heritage that led to the peace process and agreements,” General Damiri said. “There are not enough squares for all the martyrs we have."
It is a complicated issue. The dedication is a controversial move after the failure of peace talks
- perhaps Abbas will eventually apologize for his own "timing." As for Dalal being a terrorist, those outside the Palestinian-Israeli conflict would likely call Mughrabi's operation a terrorist act. However, this attack did not happen in a vacuum, and Israel has its own crimes to answer for. A harsh climate of oppression and occupation has been wrought by Israel since 1948, but that does not makes the 38 lives lost between Haifa and Tel Aviv in 1978 any less tragic.
Damiri said there aren't enough squares for all Palestine's martyrs. Hopefully we are embarking upon an era that ceases to make martyrs of any kind.
Click here to read the article.
Photo: Michael Ramallah - Flickr
Posted
at
13 Mar 2010 8:38 AM
by
