Palestinian President Bestows Their Highest Honor on Arch-Terrorist

In the U.S. there’s the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor. Now, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has decided to bestow his highest distinction on the notorious terrorist and Fatah founder Khalil al-Wazir, also known as Abu Jihad.

Khalil al-Wazir, also known as Abu Jihad, was given the highest distinction by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. (Image source: Wikimedia Commons)

Palestinian Media Watch, a research organization that translates excerpts from the Palestinian media to English, reported on Wednesday that Abbas granted the Abu Jihad the posthumous honor at the end of November.

Palestinian television called the award "the highest order of the Star of Honor."

According to Palestinian Media Watch, Abu Jihad, also a leading Palestine Liberation Organization figure, was responsible for the deaths of at least 125 Israelis in the various terrorist attacks he planned, including the hijacking of a bus.

In a statement that accompanied the award, Abbas called Abu Jihad “the model of a true fighter and devoted leader” who “left his mark on the history of the Palestinian revolution and the PLO.”

Abbas gave the award to Abu Jihad’s wife Umm Jihad, who repeatedly wiped tears from her eyes during the ceremony.

In a presidential decree read at the awards ceremony by Secretary-General of the President’s Office Tayeb Abd Al-Rahim, Abbas wrote: "Abu Jihad shall be granted the highest order of the Star of Honor in recognition of his honorable national role and his history of struggle as one of the founding leaders of the Palestinian revolution, and out of great appreciation for his high position and significance in the defense of Palestine as a country, a nation, and a cause.”

“He was the model of a true fighter and devoted leader [and] through his commitment and contribution he left his mark on the history of the Palestinian revolution and the PLO,” Abbas said in the decree.

As TheBlaze has previously reported, the Palestinian Authority awards those who have targeted civilians with violence with salaries and public praise.

Last month, the Palestinian Authority granted to convicted terrorists released from Israeli prison a $50,000 bonus in addition to ongoing monthly stipends ranging from $2,300 to $4,000.

Abu Jihad was shot dead in his home in Tunisia in 1988 reportedly by Israeli commandos.

--

[related]