PA journalist who glorifies terrorist murderers receives Palestinian Women's Media Personality Award for 2014

http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=11219

by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

The Palestinian Authority's policy is to honor terrorist murderers through all of the communication structures under its control. Palestinian Media Watch has documented that the PA TV program For You, a program about and for Palestinian prisoners in Israel, regularly promotes terrorists as role models. The program's host, Manal Seif, has called many murderers "heroes." Following a PMW report on three terrorists who in total are serving 156 life sentences for planning suicide bombings, Manal Seif criticized PMW for "slandering these heroes." 

"Palestinian Media Watch... slandered these heroes and claimed that they are terrorists... if they see all these prisoners as terrorists - we see them as heroes."

[PA TV (Fatah), June 27, 2013]

Now Manal Seif has received recognition for her work. The Palestinian organization Amin Arab Media Internet Network has awarded her the PA journalist who glorifies terrorist murderers receives Palestinian Women's Media Personality Award for 2014. The network's director, Abu Akar, explained that Seif was selected as the winner due to "her role in serving the prisoners' cause." Deputy PA Minister of Communications Mahmoud Khalifa attended the ceremony.

Among the terrorists Manal Seif has honored on her program by visiting their families or calling them "heroes" are:

Abdallah Barghouti, 67 life sentences for preparing explosives for terror attacks

Ibrahim Hamed, 54 life sentences for orchestrating suicide attacks

Muhammad Arman, 37 life sentences for orchestrating suicide attacks

Abbas Al-Sayid, 35 life sentences for orchestrating suicide attacks

Said Tubasi, 31 life sentences for orchestrating bombings and dispatching suicide bombers

Ahlam Tamimi, was serving 16 life sentences, but was released in October 2011 in the Shalit exchange deal, when Israel agreed to release 1,027 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who had been held hostage by Hamas for more than 5 years.

Salim Hajja, 16 life sentences for involvement in suicide attacks.

Nasser Awais, 14 life sentences for orchestrating terror attacks

Marwan Barghouti, 5 life sentences for orchestrating terror attacks

Haitham Al-Mutawaffeq Hamdan, 4 life sentences for murder

Qahira Al-Sa'adi was serving 3 life sentences for driving a suicide bomber to his attack, but was released in October 2011 in the Shalit exchange deal.

Issa Abd Rabbo, was serving 2 life sentences for murder, but was released in October 2013 as one of 104 terrorists whom Israel agreed to release to fulfill the PA's precondition for renewing negotiations.

Muayyad Hijja, was serving 2 life sentences for murder, but was released in October 2013 as one of 104 terrorists whom Israel agreed to release to fulfill the PA's precondition for renewing negotiations.

Amna Muna, was serving 1 life sentence for participating in kidnapping and murder, but was released in October 2013 as one of 104 terrorists whom Israel agreed to release to fulfill the PA's precondition for renewing negotiations.

Yasser Dhiab Hamdouni, 1 life sentence for murder

Karim and Maher Younes, 1 life sentence for murder (reduced to 40 years)

Irena Sarahneh was serving 20 years for driving a suicide bomber to his attack, but was released in October 2011 in the Shalit prisoner exchange deal.

Click to see more examples of PA glorification of terrorists.

The following is a longer excerpt of Manal Seif's criticism of PMW and defense of terrorist murderers as "heroes":

PA TV host: "I want to tell the Israelis that our prisoners are heroes and not terrorists. What I saw reminded me of an Israeli website called 'PMW', or 'Palestinian Media Watch,' a site that monitors the Palestinian media. Of course every visit that we film for a prisoner gets them angry. I was surprised a week ago that [regarding] brother Ibrahim Hamed, brother Abbas Al-Sayid, and brother Abdallah Barghouti, they [PMW] objected, they were upset, they slandered these heroes and claimed that they are terrorists. If they see Abdallah Barghouti (67 life sentences) as a terrorist, Abbas Al-Sayid (35 life sentences) as a terrorist, Ibrahim Hamed (54 life sentences) and Nasser Awais (14 life sentences), if they see all these prisoners as terrorists - we see them as heroes... I salute you, all you heroic fighter prisoners, and of course, I always wish you freedom."

[PA TV (Fatah), June 27, 2013]

The report on the journalistic prize awarded Manal Seif:

Photo: Journalist Manal Seif accepts the [Palestinian] Woman Media Award

"The PA TV program For You host, Manal Seif, was awarded the PA journalist who glorifies terrorist murderers receives Palestinian Women's Media Personality Award for 2014 yesterday, Thursday [March 13, 2014]. The recognition [ceremony] for Seif and Director of Information of the [Palestinian] Prisoners' Club Amani Sarahaneh was held in the presence of Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate Chairman Abd Al-Nasser Al-Najjar, Deputy [PA] Minister of Communications Mahmoud Khalifa, Director of the Amin [Arab Media Internet] Network Abu Akar and a number of female journalists... Abu Akar said that the decision of the committee responsible for selecting the winner was based on the importance of the role of the prisoners' cause and the roles of journalists Seif and Sarahneh in serving the prisoners' cause."
From WAFA, official PA news agency

[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 14, 2014]