A senior advisor to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has recently characterized the deadly terror attacks perpetrated by Palestinians against Israelis in Judea and Samaria as "self-defense," according to the Palestinian Media Watch.
The remarks come following a week of an unprecedented rise in terror attacks in the region, with multiple car bombings, the murder of three Israeli police officers, and the discovery of an explosive in a baby stroller.
Mahmoud Al-Habbash portrayed the attacks as justified responses to what we said was an Israeli plan "to empty the West Bank of its residents." He further asserted that "resistance" – a term often used as a euphemism for the murder of Israelis – is a Palestinian "right."
Al-Habbash, advisor to Abbas on religious affairs and Islamic relations, accused Israel of planning to "transfer" the Gaza scenario to the West Bank. He claimed, "The events in Tubas, Tulkarm, Jenin, Nablus, and Hebron are part of an Israeli war of annihilation to expel Palestinians from their homeland." He framed the war as "a one-sided war against the Palestinian people," insisting that Palestinians have the right to resist what he termed Israeli aggression."
Al-Habbash's remarks represent the latest in a series of statements by senior Palestinian officials that justify deadly attacks on Israelis. The pronouncements, coupled with the PA's controversial policy of providing financial compensation to terrorists and their families – often referred to as "pay-for-slay" – have been widely criticized for inciting further violence against Israelis.
