File this in your Praising Butchery file: Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has eulogized the mastermind of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre of Israeli athletes — a statement that will not help advance efforts to defuse not just Middle East tensions but religious tensions in the region.
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has euologized Abu Dauod, the mastermind of the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes at the Munch Olympics in 1972 and who died Saturday. “He is missed. He was one of the leading figures of Fatah and spent his life in resistance and sincere work as well as physical sacrifice for his people’s just causes,” said Abbas.
Dauod, a former commander of the Fatah party that Abbas now heads, died late Friday night as the age of 73.
Abbas’ eulogy and praise for the planner of the murders came less than a month after he told American Jewish leaders in Washington that he will work to stop incitement of violence against Jews. Abbas provided the funds for the Munich massacre, according to Dauod.
This doesn’t exactly sound like someone who is determined to do this and who repudiates the kind of bloodshed Abbas would demand be repudiated if it came from the Israeli side. It’s a statement that will perpetuate the cycle. MORE:
The Black September gang said it received its orders from Fatah, which denied involvement in the massacre.
The Munch murder gang consisted of masked terrorists who stormed the apartments where Israeli athletes were staying in the Olympic Village. The terrorists took the athletes as hostages and demanded the release of 200 Arabs from Israeli prisons.
By the time the attack was over, the Israeli athletes were killed, along with one German officer and five of the terrorists. Daoud and one other member of the gang survived.
And for those who need a refersher course in the handiwork of the man that the Palestinian Authority leader who vows to try and decrease the incitement against violence against Jews is now praising, here is one for you .
This has a bit of the first bulletins:
ABC News coverage:
Jim McCay, who was covering the event as a sportscaster had to cover it as a breaking story. His account of the time:
CBS’ Summary on its This Week In History:
Watch CBS News Videos Online
This You Tube memorial/recap:
And if you want to read some material on the web about the massacre and the man Abbas is praising, here is more to refresh your memory:
—Who murdered the athletes of the Israeli 1972 Olympic Team in Munich?
–-Munich Massacre
—Black September terrorist who masterminded the Munich massacre dead in Syria
—The Munich Massacre
—Munich Massacre
—TIME: Murder at Munich
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.