About 50,000 Palestinians converged on Manger Square in the center of the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Thursday for the funeral of four Palestinian fighters who were assassinated by undercover Israeli forces on Wednesday night.This means that Fatah has not the slightest interest in reigning in terrorists unless they are forced to by Washington. It is a strange organization that explicitly and enthusiastically supports the murders of their "peace partners."
Their bodies were wrapped in Hizbullah flags, in an apparent show of allegiance with the Lebanese resistance movement and political party.
Schools, shops, restaurants and other businesses shuttered their doors in observance of a general strike across the city. Bethlehem's normally bustling downtown streets were largely empty.
In a show of unity in the face of occupation, members of numerous Palestinian political factions attended the ceremony.
In speeches to the assembled crowd, representatives of the the Higher Committee of National and Islamic Forces, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and Islamic Jihad denounced ongoing Israeli aggression against Palestinians. The Palestinian People's Party, the communists, were also present.
Kamil Hamid from the Fatah movement called for collaborators and spies who aid the Israeli occupation to be apprehended.
Across the square from the mosque, the Nativity Church sounded funeral bells.
Meanwhile, another funeral took place:
Israeli police blocked Palestinians from attending the Thursday morning funeral of Ala Abu Dhaim, the East Jerusalem resident who killed eight Jewish students at a school in Jerusalem one week ago.How many thousands of Palestinian Arabs would have attended that funeral given the chance?
The police buried Dhaim at dawn on Thursday, physically preventing Palestinians from reaching the cemetery. Dhaim's parents, and some of his senior relatives were permitted to attend the burial.