The Palestinians have officially launched their campaign to join the United Nations as a full member state, saying they will stage a series of peaceful events in the run-up to the annual gathering of the UN General Assembly later this month.Mrs. Hmeid's kids do like to work fast. Last year she only had four sons in prison, as noted by Palestinian Media Watch quoting Al Hayat al Jadida:
About 100 Palestinian officials and activists gathered at the UN offices in Ramallah for a short ceremony, where they announced their plans in a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The letter urges Mr Ban to add his "moral voice in support of the Palestinian people".
The letter was handed over by Latifa Abu Hmeid, a 70-year-old woman who lost one son in fighting with Israel and has seven other sons in Israeli prisons because of alleged militant activities. Officials said Ms Abu Hmeid was selected to deliver the document because her personal story reflects the plight of the Palestinians. A resident of a West Bank refugee camp, her house has twice been demolished by Israeli authorities as punishment for her sons' activities, they said.
Issa Karake, Minister of Prisoners' Affairs, awarded the Shield of Resolve and Giving to Khansa of Palestine [reference to a woman in the earliest period of Islam who sent her four sons to battle and rejoiced when they all died as Martyrs], Um Yousuf Abu Hamid, inscribed with the names of her four sons who are imprisoned in the Israeli occupation's prisons. He emphasized, 'The Palestinian mother is a central partner in the struggle, by virtue of what she has given and continues to give. It is she who gave birth to the fighters, and she deserves that we bow to her in salute and in honor.'The sons:
This [was said] during a visit yesterday by [Minister] Karake and a delegation from the Ministry of Prisoners' Affairs, human rights organizations, and released prisoners, to the home of the Abu Hamid family in the Al-Am'ari refugee camp. [Karake] joined the meal breaking the [Ramadan] fast with the mother of the four prisoners who were sentenced to several life terms, as well as a fifth Shahid (Martyr) who was caught and executed on the spot by the Israeli special forces, having killed an Israeli intelligence officer and having wounded soldiers. Karake praised the Abu Hamid family as a model of willpower and of the struggle for the independence of Palestine... It should be noted that the Abu Hamid family is one of the fighting families of Palestine... All of the family's younger generation have been arrested, and four sons are still in prison.
Nasser Abu Hamid: 7 life sentences + 50 years - commander in Fatah's military wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, in Ramallah. Convicted of the murders of 7 Israeli civilians and 12 attempted murders.So Mrs. Hamid/Hmeid is really the perfect symbol to represent Palestinian Arabs in their statehood bid, having raised seven terrorist sons.
Nasr Abu Hamid: 5 life sentences - Member of Fatah’s Tanzim faction, another military wing, and convicted of involvement in two terror attacks.
Sharif Abu Hamid: 4 life sentences - carried out terror attacks against civilians and soldiers. Helped transport a suicide terrorist to his attack in March 2002.
Muhammad Abu Hamid: 2 life sentences + 30 years for terror attacks.
Fifth brother Abd Al-Mun'im Abu Hamid: Killed by Israel after he attacked and killed an Israeli intelligence officer.
And in another perfect case of symbolism, this official ceremony - which was apparently organized by the PA - was denied by its parent organization the PLO as invalid:
While the Palestinian Authority said Thursday it had officially launched its UN statehood-recognition bid, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) that the PA "does not have any international relations mandate," and that the PLO was the only body that could make such a move.They can't figure out who their own leaders are, but they are more than ready to pretend to become a state.
Earlier, it was reported that the Palestinian Authority had submitted a letter with the move's official plans to UN chief Ban Ki-moon in ceremony in Ramallah with more than 100 Palestinian officials and activists in attendance.
The PLO representative told DPA that a date had not yet been chosen for the official launch, but that it would be made in the coming weeks
(h/t Challah Hu Akbar for research)