Palestinian Authority Praises Student ‘Martyrs’ Who ‘Excelled’ By Attacking Israelis

TEL AVIV – Following the release of high school seniors’ final exam results by the Palestinian Authority this week, the official Palestinian press praised “martyrs” who did not graduate because they were busy carrying out terror attacks against Israelis.

The PA’s official daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida’s lead article listed 16 Palestinian students who did not take their final exams, but nevertheless “passed the difficult [test] of dying as martyrs for the sake of the homeland” with flying colors, the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) reported.

“Dying as a martyr is the path of excellence and superiority,” the article read.

PLO Executive Committee member Ahmed Al-Majdalani slammed Israeli forces for denying the assailants’ chance to finish high school.

“In these moments, we feel the absence of 16 students, the martyrs who should have taken the high school finals but who were prevented from taking them by the violent and aggressive occupation forces, who denied joy to their families,” he said.

Many of the articles used the double entendre “shahada,” which is the Arabic word for both “diploma” and “martyrdom.”

The article did not contain any information on the attacks the teens committed, which included killing a policewoman and several stabbing attacks against civilians and IDF soldiers. The terrorists were said to have been martyred by “the bullets of the occupation.”

A range of Palestinian Authority dailies called the terrorists a source of pride for their families and the entire Palestinian people, and quoted their friends’ and relatives’ praise for them.

Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that honor students were dedicating their exam successes to the martyrs.

Muhammad Abu Nahla, an honors student majoring in industry, dedicated his scholastic accomplishments to Adnan Al-Mashni, who was killed while attempting to carry out a stabbing attack.

“I dedicate my success to the Palestinian leadership and its head, President Mahmoud Abbas; to the educational and pedagogical family; to my family and our people; and especially to my friend, the 17-year-old martyr Adnan Aaid Hamed Al-Mashni Al-Halaiqa, from the town of Al-Shayoukh, who was martyred at Beit Einun Junction east of Hebron on January 12, 2016,” Abu Nahla said.

“How I wish that he could have celebrated his success today – but the bullets of the occupation stole him, denying us and his parents of this joy. But we are all proud of the martyr’s death he attained,” he added.