• What do 16 terrorist prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli prisons have in common other than having murdered Israelis?

• The PA inaugurated a garden in their honor at a PA school for boys!

To honor 16 terrorists serving one or numerous life sentences for murdering Israelis, Jenin District Governor Akram Rajoub and Salam Al-Taher, who serves as Head of the Educational Directorate in Jenin – a branch of the PA Ministry of Education – established the “Freedom to the Life Sentence Prisoners Garden” at the Izz A-Din Elementary School for Boys.

At the event, in which representatives from Fatah and “official institutions, security institutions, non-governmental institutions… the [PA-funded] Prisoners’ Club, and the [PLO] Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs” participated, olive tree seedlings “named after the life sentence prisoners” were planted. Reporting on the inauguration, the official PA daily noted that “the speakers emphasized that there is one message in inaugurating the garden: We adhere to the prisoners’ cause and stand alongside them.” [Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 22, 2022] – In other words: The PA condones and encourages terror and murder of Israelis!

The terrorists glorified by the PA in the new garden either directly murdered Israelis, planned attacks, recruited, aided, and primed suicide bombers, or prepared bombs. All terrorists are praised as “heroic prisoners” on signs with their names by the olive tree saplings.

This is not the first PA school at which kids are taught to honor and admire murderers through an innocent looking garden with olive trees. Palestinian Media Watch has documented a similar initiative at a girls’ school in Jenin. At the inauguration of this garden, the same PA education official, Salam Al-Taher, explained the importance of teaching Palestinian children about “freedom” and “our heroic prisoners” such as Karim and Maher Younes who kidnapped and murdered an Israeli soldier.

Photos from the recent event at the boys’ school posted on Facebook, show the olive tree seedlings and the names of some of the terrorist murderers the PA Ministry of Education found suitable for being honored in the garden: (All the following photos are from the Facebook page of the Izz A-Din Elementary School for Boys, March 21, 2022)

Islam Saleh Jarrar – Palestinian terrorist and Hamas member who was involved in planning the murder of 9 and wounding of 51 in a suicide bombing on bus no. 361 at the Meron Junction in northern Israel on Aug. 4, 2002. Jarrar is serving 9 life sentences.

Hassan Rateb Aweis – Palestinian terrorist who participated in a shooting attack at the central bus station in Afula, in which 2 people were murdered on Nov. 27, 2001. Aweis is serving 2 life sentences and an additional 30 years.

Abd Al-Karim Aweis – Palestinian terrorist, member of the Palestinian General Security Services, and a senior Fatah official. Aweis participated in a shooting attack at the central bus station in Afula, in which 2 people were murdered on Nov. 27, 2001, and a suicide attack in Jerusalem, in which 3 were murdered and dozens wounded on March 21, 2002. Aweis is serving 6 life sentences.

Yusuf Abu Qandil – Palestinian terrorist and Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades (Fatah’s military wing) member who together with Habib Abu Abed shot and murdered Israeli civilian Victor Kreiderman and wounded his wife Emma Kreiderman as they were driving near Mevo Dotan, west of Jenin, on July 4, 2004. Abu Qandil and Abu Abed are each serving a life sentence.

Muhammad Aql – Palestinian terrorist and Islamic Jihad member who recruited and prepared the suicide bombers who attacked a bus at Karkur Junction near Hadera on Oct. 21, 2002, murdering 14 and wounding 50. Aql was also involved in additional shooting and bombing attacks. Aql is serving 14 life sentences and an additional 40 years.

Muntasar Abu Ghalyoun – Palestinian terrorist and senior member of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades (Fatah’s military wing) in Jenin who was involved in numerous shooting attacks, including four in June 2003 in which 4 Israeli civilians were murdered. The attacks were directed and funded by Hezbollah. Ghalyoun is serving 5 life sentences and an additional 50 years.

Nahar Ahmed Al-Sa’adi – 20-year-old Palestinian terrorist who transported Hiba Daragmeh, an Islamic Jihad female suicide bomber who carried out a suicide attack at the Amakim shopping mall in Afula on May 19, 2003, murdering 3. Al-Sa’adi is serving 4 life sentences and an additional 20 years. He was placed in isolation from May 2013 to May 2016 for organizing terrorist activities from within prison.

Ali Suleiman Al-Sa’adi – Palestinian terrorist and senior Islamic Jihad member in Jenin who was responsible for sending several terrorists to attack, including two terrorists who shot and murdered 2 Israeli civilians – Michal Mor and Noam Gozovsky – and wounded 50 at the central bus station in Afula on Nov. 27, 2001, and several suicide bombers including Muhammad Nasr who wounded 21 people at the Wall Street Café in Kiryat Motzkin on Aug. 12, 2001. Al-Sa’adi is serving 4 life sentences.

Jamal Abu Al-Hija – Palestinian terrorist and head of Hamas’ military wing in Jenin. He was directly involved in the Meron Junction bombing, in which 9 were murdered and dozens injured, on Aug. 4, 2002. Al-Hija is serving 9 life sentences and an additional 20 years.

Shadi Ibrahim Ammouri – Palestinian terrorist and Islamic Jihad member who prepared the bomb for the Megiddo Junction bombing in which 17 were murdered and 43 wounded on bus no. 830 from Tel Aviv to Tiberias on June 5, 2002. Ammouri is serving 17 life sentences and an additional 20 years.

Ali Abd Al-Latif Sayes – Palestinian terrorist who was involved in a series of security related offenses including an attempted suicide bombing in May 2002. Sayes is serving a life sentence.

“Freedom to the Life Sentence Prisoners of Jenin and Its Refugee Camp Garden
The garden was inaugurated in cooperation with the brothers in the Syrian Arab Golan Heights in the 2021-2022 academic year”

Posted text: “Praise Allah, the Freedom to the Life Sentence Prisoners Garden was inaugurated. Thanks to everyone who took part in establishing this project.”

[Facebook page of the Izz A-Din Elementary School for Boys, March 21, 2022]

The following are longer excerpts of the statements cited above:

Headline: “Freedom to the Life Sentence Prisoners Garden is inaugurated in Jenin”

“Yesterday, Monday [March 21, 2022], Jenin District Governor Akram Rajoub and Head of the Educational Directorate [in Jenin] (i.e., branch of the PA Ministry of Education) Salam Al-Taher, in cooperation with a delegation from the occupied Syrian Golan Heights (i.e., in northern Israel), inaugurated the Freedom to the Life Sentence Prisoners Garden. They planted 16 olive tree seedlings named after the life sentence prisoners from Jenin and its refugee camp.

A rally was held at the Izz A-Din Elementary School for Boys schoolyard and a procession of scouts took place at the school, with the participation of District Governor Rajoub, Al-Taher, a delegation from the occupied Syrian Golan Heights led by released prisoner Sidqi Al-Maqt (i.e., terrorist, committed espionage against Israel), a delegation from the 1948 territories (i.e., Israel), [Izz A-Din Elementary] School Principal Saed Hushiya, Fatah [Jenin] Branch member Osama Bazzour, the national action factions, representatives of the official institutions, security institutions, and non-governmental institutions, released prisoners and their relatives, and also representatives of Fatah, the [PA-funded] Prisoners’ Club, and the [PLO] Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs.

The speakers emphasized that there is one message in inaugurating the garden: We adhere to the prisoners’ cause and stand alongside them.”

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 22, 2022]

Sidqi Al-Maqt – Spy from the Druze and former Syrian village in the Golan Heights, Majdal Shams, who spied for Syria, providing information about the Israeli army. Al-Maqt was arrested in 1985 and served a 27-year sentence and was released, but was rearrested for espionage in 2015. Al-Maqt was sentenced to another 14 years, but was released on Jan. 10, 2020, as part of a goodwill gesture by Israel following the return of the body of Zachary Baumel, an Israeli soldier missing in action since 1982, by Russia from Syria.

The photo shows the schoolyard of the Izz A-Din Elementary School for Boys where the event was held. A large monument in the shape of the PA map of “Palestine” that presents all of Israel together with the PA areas as “Palestine” is seen, with a Syrian flag on either side of it in honor of a visiting delegation from the Golan Heights that the PA defines as “the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.” On the wall in the background on the right is a mural featuring the PA map of “Palestine.”

A Druze member of the delegation from the Golan Heights is seen carrying a sign featuring a picture of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Text on sign: “Thanks and appreciation

The Izz A-Din Elementary School for Boys in Jenin greatly thanks the residents of the Syrian Arab Golan Heights for the unceasing aid in establishing the Freedom [to the Life Sentence Prisoners] Garden at the school”

Reprinted with author’s permission from Palestinian Media Watch