JERUSALEM—The Palestinian Authority has defied Belgium as a Palestinian school built with Belgian funding is still being named after terrorist mass murderer Dalal Mughrabi who led the 1978 bus hijacking and murder of 37 Israelis including 12 children, Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), a Jerusalem-based research institute, reported.
In September 2017, PMW reeased a report documenting 31 Palestinian Authority schools named after terrorists, one of which, the Beit Awaa Basic Girls School” renamed as the ”Dalal Mughrabi Elementary School,” was built by the Belgium government.
Shortly after the report was published, the Belgian authorities condemned the naming of the school built with its funding after the terrorist and but also announced a freeze on all funding for PA school construction pending a formal response from the Palestinian Authority.
“Belgium unequivocally condemns the glorification of terrorist attacks and will not allow itself to be associated with the names of terrorists in any way. Belgium has immediately raised this issue with the Palestinian Authority and is awaiting a formal response… In the meantime Belgium will put on hold any projects related to the construction or equipment of Palestinian schools,” a Belgian foreign ministrry spokesman said at the time.
But PMW has confirmed that the school name has not been changed after the official Palestinian Authority daily published a story announcing the “launch of activities of the outstanding athletic clubs,” hosted by none other than the Dalal Mughrabi School in Southern Hebron.
PMW examined the pictures from the event and noted that the same plaque thanking Belgium for funding the school named after the terrorist mass murderer can be seen in the pictures from the recent event.
‘’The school that was built with Belgium money, still today, has on its walls the name of a terrorist mass murderer together with the flag and dedication of the Belgium government. Not only is Belgium ignoring this snub, Belgian officials are participating in the inauguration of Palestinian schools, including those once again funded by Belgium,’’ writes PMW.
The organisation called on the Belgian government ‘’to unequivocally condemn the PA Ministry of Education for presenting terrorists as heroes and role models for Palestinian children.’’
A spokesperson for the Belgian Foreign Ministry said that the country stood by its previously policy regarding support to schools in the Palestinian territories, which “unequivocally condemns the glorification of terrorist attacks.”
He affirmed that the decision to suspend two Palestinian school construction projects in the West Bank “remains in effect until further notice.”