Fatah Facebook page glorifies rocket fire at Israel

Three images lauding rocket attacks on Israel and violence against IDF soldiers were posted on the official Facebook page of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party last week.

One image showed a Fatah fighter holding a rocket while others fired guns, and another displayed a man firing an automatic rifle with the Arabic caption “The end of Israel, the liberation of Palestine” posted beneath the photo. The third poster showed a picture of rockets being launched, accompanied by the text “We have more, Zionists,” according to a translation by Israel-based watchdog Palestinian Media Watch.

Israeli officials have repeatedly accused Palestinian groups, including Fatah, of engaging in incitement against Israelis and Jews via official media channels.

Last month, Fatah distanced itself from an image of skulls adorned with Jewish stars that was posted to its Facebook page.

The image, posted last Wednesday, displayed a rifle, the Fatah flag and the words “lingering on your skulls.” It was posted on the occasion of Fatah’s 50th anniversary

A spokesman for Fatah told CNN that the group was not responsible for the image.

A photo shared on the Fatah official Facebook page of a mound of skulls marked with Jewish stars. (screen capture: Facebook)

“Fatah did not design this image,” Mahmoud al-Aloul said, and added that the person who posted it “is currently being asked to remove it. The image and the text do not reflect the opinions of Fatah.”

The image was removed after al-Aloul’s comments were made to CNN.

After the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers last summer, Fatah’s page displayed a number of cartoons, including one depicting the teens as rats caught on a fishing line.