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Palestinians elect murderer as Hebron mayor

Tayseer Abu Sneineh, a terrorist and murderer of six Israelis, has been elected mayor of Hebron.

By Aryeh Savir, World Israel News

The Palestinians on Saturday elected Tayseer Abu Sneineh, a terrorist and murderer of six Israelis, to head the municipality of Hebron.

Abu Sneineh, the Fatah representative for the local municipal elections, was a member of a Palestinian terrorist cell that carried out an attack in the city on May 2 1980, near Beit Hadassah – the only building in Hebron where Jews lived at the time. Six Yeshiva students – Tzvi Glatt, Eli HaZe’ev, Shmuel Marmelstein, Hanan Krauthhammer, Gershon Klein and Ya’akov Zimmerman – were murdered, and another 16 Israelis were wounded.

All four terrorists, sentenced to life in prison, were released in various prisoner exchange deals in the 1980s.

Fatah, the ruling party of the Palestinian Authority (PA), in announcing Abu Sneineh’s candidacy, described the terror attack as “one of the most important battles and acts of bravery of the Fatah Movement” and “one of the most courageous self-sacrifice operations.” Fatah furthermore praised the killers as “heroes” and men “of delicate emotions.”

Hamas, which has a strong political presence in the city, boycotted the elections.

Abu Sneineh joined the PA in the 1990s, served in the ministry entrusted with guarding the holy places and was in charge of the Cave of the Patriarchs.

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Member of a large clan with a long history of murderous attacks against Israelis, Abu Sneineh will have jurisdiction over services provided to the Israeli residents of the city.

Palestinian Peace Partners?

David Wilder, an Israeli resident of Hebron, reported on Facebook that heavy shooting filled the city after the election results were announced. Footage from the city shows throngs celebrating as automatic gunfire was fired into the air.

A presumably stray bullet hit a parked car in the Israeli Avraham Avinu neighborhood. No one was hurt.

Noam Arnon, spokesman for the Jewish community in Hebron, stated that the election of a “convicted murderer” as mayor is a testimony to the fact that “the Oslo peace accords, and what is left of it, has passed from the world. This is ethical and moral bankruptcy. This indicates who our partner [in the peace negotiations] is and to what depths he has slumped.”

Danny Danon, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, tweeted: “Taysir Abu Sneineh was elected today as Mayor of Hebron. His previous career achievements? He assassinated 6 six Jewish students.”

David Ben Tzion, deputy head of the Shomron Regional Council, called on US President Donald Trump to cancel his planned meeting with Palestinian Authority head (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas following Abu Sneineh elections.

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“No one is surprised that the Palestinian Authority educates for murder, encourages terrorism and that the murderers are their cultural heroes and the leaders of their younger generation,” Ben Tzion wrote on Facebook.

“So what’s new? In a week and two days Donald Trump will be landing in Israel, and according to media reports he is likely to push for some kind of diplomatic process between Israel and the Arabs, the same Arabs who today elected a mayor and a murderer. Mr. President if I were you, I would not be humiliated. If you have self-respect, reconsider your visit to Abu Mazen [Abbas] a Holocaust denier who encourages murder,” he stated.