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Palestinian social media praises killing of IDF soldier

Palestinians quick to praise attack that killed IDF Staff Sgt. Amit Ben Yigal, 21, during a security operation in northern Samaria.

By Paul Shindman, World Israel News

Palestinian social media responded to the murder of an IDF soldier Tuesday by praising the killing as a “heroic act.”

Staff Sgt. Amit Ben Yigal, 21, from Ramat Gan was killed early Tuesday morning by a Palestinian who dropped a large rock on him from a roof as his unit was wrapping up operational activity in the village of Ya’bad, west of Jenin in northern Samaria.

The soldier from the Golani Brigade, an only son, was mourned by his father who said “I have nothing but him. I can’t even cry. I can’t even digest this terrible disaster.”

Palestinians, however, rushed to praise the attack.

“The killing of the Zionist soldier is a clear popular message … and a clear indication of the outcome of the escalation of the resistance in response to the crimes and terrorism of the Zionist occupation,” the spokesman for the Islamic Jihad Movement, Musab Al-Braim, said in a tweet by the Palestinian Information Center.

“A stone in the hands of a brave man is better than a thousand guns in the hands of cowards,” tweeted a Palestinian woman named Hiba Al-Benni.

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Another Palestinian posted a video claiming to show the trail of blood from the dead soldier, saying “A Palestinian youth threw his holy stone over the head of a malicious Zionist soldier, so he lost his soul and unclean blood.”

“Death to all the occupation Zionists, God willing,” tweeted Mohamed Alhasoun.

Palestinians used the Arabic hashtag meaning “holy stone” to allow them to see who had the most outrageous tweets, which included praise for the killing as well as cartoons and images showing rocks hitting soldiers.

Social media has been used for years as a propaganda tool to stir up anti-Israel sentiment among  Palestinians.

At the same time, the Palestinian Authority controlled by Mahmoud Abbas monitors Palestinian social media and arrests those who criticize his regime.