Palestinian Terror Group Asks Iran for Money on TV

A Palestinian terror group has asked Iran for money–in public, on Iranian television.

The terror group, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, is linked to the “moderate” Fatah organization headed by Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas. Separately, Abbas has announced that he plans to visit Iran in November.

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades made its appeal for funding from Gaza during a segment on Palestinian terror tunnels that was broadcast in late June on the Iranian Arabic-language Al-Alam channel, which is aimed at Arabic speakers around the world.

The dialogue, as provided by Palestinian Media Watch, is as follows:

Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades fighter: “There will now be a qualitative change in the unit named after Martyrdom-seeker Nabil Mas’oud in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, by using attack tunnels against the Zionist entity. We will now go through one of those tunnels to see what the [Al-Aqsa] Martyrs’ Brigades is preparing for this occupation (i.e., Israel)…”
Iranian Al-Alam TV narrator: “Here is the first tunnel… When we met the Ribat [Islamic] fighters in this tunnel, they said that the weapons in their hands and their preparations for confrontation with the Israeli enemy are what give them reason to live.”
Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades fighter: “This tunnel is approximately 3.5 km long and crosses the border between the Gaza Strip and the Zionist enemy. There are tunnels inside [Gaza] through which Jihad fighters pass during war… We spend all our time trying to get money to fulfill our duty concerning our occupied lands and liberate them from the Zionist entity. This is why we are asking [for money]… especially [from] Iran, which is a known long-time supporter of the resistance and the Palestinian cause…”
Iranian Al-Alam TV reporter: “The book of resistance is still open… and its last line will not be written until Palestine is liberated.”

Terror tunnels were central to last summer’s war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and were used by Palestinian terrorists to launch attacks on civilian and military targets. The war effectively foiled Palestinians’ efforts to launch a surprise mass attack, possibly planned for the Jewish New Year.

Iran expects to receive up to $150 billion in sanctions relief as a result of the new Iran deal. The Obama administration admits that at least some of that money will be spent on Iranian military priorities, including funding for its terrorist proxies abroad.