There has long been speculation about Saudi Arabia normalizing its relations with Israel as part of US President Donald Trump’s “Abraham Accords” despite periodic denials from Riyadh.
Those denials took on added significance a few weeks ago with an event reported by the Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) watchdog organization.
A new reward by the Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to “honor” Palestinian terrorists’ families made it clear last month that the Saudi leadership not only does not reject Palestinian Authority terror — nor those terrorists who murdered Israeli civilians – but rather, chooses to honor them.
Such a move obviously sends a message of approval and quiet incitement to encourage even more attacks.
Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas personally “thanked Saudi Arabia and its leadership for the generous grant they provided this year to 1,000 Palestinian pilgrims from among the families of the Martyrs, the prisoners, and the wounded,” according to a June 9 report by the Ramallah government-run PA TV News.
The relatives of “martyrs, prisoners, and wounded” – meaning dead, imprisoned, and wounded terrorists – were flown to Mecca for the Hajj pilgrimage, free of charge, by the Saudi monarch.
The gesture constitutes a sign of “loyalty” to the terrorists, and a commitment to “constant sponsorship and honoring” vis-a-vis their families, PA TV reported.
“As part of a generous act from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques [Saudi King Salman], a convoy of pilgrims set out today to the Ka’aba [in Mecca] from among the families of the Martyrs, the wounded, and the prisoners… This initiative expresses the ongoing support of the Saudi Arabian Kingdom for the Palestinian cause and emphasizes its diligence in easing the suffering of the affected families… out of appreciation for them and loyalty to the Martyrs, with an emphasis on how [the Martyrs’] families will remain a subject of constant sponsorship and honoring,” PA TV News reported.
The terrorists whose families Saudi Arabia chose to honor included murderers bent on destroying Israel.
One of the honored pilgrims featured in the TV report was Saif Abu Qandil. His brother, Fatah terrorist prisoner Yusuf Abu Qandil, together with an accomplice, shot and murdered Israeli civilian Victor Kreiderman and wounded his wife Emma in 2004.
Saif Abu Qandil, who was flown to Mecca together with his sister, thanked Saudi Arabia for the “gesture.”
Another pilgrim featured on PA TV was the sister of terrorist prisoner Karam Hassan, a commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, Fatah’s terror wing, and oversaw the murder of Israeli civilian Ruth Shua’i in a 2001 drive-by shooting.
Hassan’s sister also thanked “the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the [Saudi] Crown Prince” as well as the Saudi people.
The Palestinian Authority was careful not to publish the names of the 1,000 terrorists whose family members were flown to Mecca by the Saudi monarch, the PMW reported.
“Trump and Israel should make it clear to the Saudi king that honoring terrorist murderers of Jews by rewarding their families is terror glorification and sends a message to Palestinians that Saudi Arabia welcomes Palestinian terror. This message is incompatible with a normalization process with Israel,” the PMW advised.
