The Palestinian Tradition of Celebrating the Death of Jews

By Bassam Tawil, GATESTONE  |   October 8, 2024

Palestinian Arabs celebrate Iran’s ballistic missile attack on Israel and pose, flashing the “V for victory” sign, with a piece of a downed Iranian missile that they moved to the town square of Dura (near Hebron), on October 1, 2024. (Photo by Hazem Bader/AFP via Getty Images)

• Palestinians have a custom of celebrating in the streets every time Israel is attacked or a Jew is murdered by terrorists.
• It is hard, if not impossible, to find one senior Palestinian official who is willing to criticize his own people for celebrating terrorist attacks. It is also hard, if not impossible, to find one senior Palestinian official who is willing to condemn the October 7 atrocities and massacres against Israelis. Palestinian leaders have good reason not to speak out: they are afraid of being killed by their own people.

• Last month, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly, ignored the Hamas attack and instead accused Israel of committing “massacres,” “crimes,” and “genocide” against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Needless to say, Abbas also ignored the fact that a large number of Palestinians expressed support for the Hamas-led October 7 attack and took to the streets to celebrate the brutal mass-murder of Israeli women, children and the elderly.
• Palestinian leaders who do not have the courage, or are unwilling, to denounce terrorism will never be able to call on their people to recognize Israel’s right to exist, let alone make peace with it. Palestinians who celebrate the murder of their neighbors are not ready for a state, which will undoubtedly be used as a springboard to slaughter more Jews and to try to destroy Israel.
• There is no excuse for celebrating murder. A society that celebrates murder will never be a partner for peace. True peace will only come when Palestinian leaders values their people’s lives more than celebrating the murder of Jews.

• Palestinians have a custom of celebrating in the streets every time Israel is attacked or a Jew is murdered by terrorists.

  Palestinians have a custom of celebrating in the streets every time Israel is attacked or a Jew is murdered by terrorists, and it is hard, if not impossible, to find one senior Palestinian official who is willing to criticize his own people for celebrating terrorist attacks.

  The latest Palestinian celebrations took place on October 1, 2024, when Iran launched hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel. The celebrations occurred even though some of the missiles fell in Palestinian areas in the West Bank and the only person killed was, ironically, a Palestinian man in the city of Jericho.

  In one West Bank village, Palestinians erected a monument from the tail of an Iranian missile to celebrate Iran’s attack on Israel.

  Similar celebrations took place in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and in many countries when Iran launched its first direct missile and drone attack against Israel in April. According to a report by Iran’s Tehran Times:

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