East Jerusalemites Say Local "Celebrations" Are Media Fiction

Jerusalem, 10 October, 2016 (TPS) -- Jerusalem (TPS) – Hebrew- and Arabic-language media reported Monday about expansive celebrations in Palestinian society following the murder of police officer Yosef Kirma and civilian Levana Malihi, a retired Knesset worker. Israeli media and social media sites published photos of Palestinians handing out candy on the streets of eastern Jerusalem and social media, while Palestinian websites and media published posters celebrating the ‘martyr’ who had ‘defended the al-Aqsa Mosque,’ lauding the killer with the Arabic hashtag ‘Assad al-Aqsa,’ which means ‘Lion of al-Aqsa.’

In addition, Hamas took credit for the attack, with spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum calling the murders “a natural reaction to the crimes and violations of the occupation against our people.”

Fatah, too, celebrated the attack on websites and official media, declaring the gunman a “martyr” and declaring a day of mourning “in memory of the souls of the Martyrs of Palestine” the of the terrorist who died in the clash with Israeli security forces “due to the barbaric escalation being perpetrated by the occupation government and the herds of settlers…[who] attempt to instill fear in our Palestinian cities, villages and refugee camps.”

Many residents of eastern Jerusalem, however, said the morning after the attack brought an atmosphere of mixed emotions.

“I didn’t see any celebrations, but I do I think there are a lot of confused emotions,” said Mahmoud Muna, the owner of a book shop near the Old City and a resident of the neighborhood of Ras al-Amud. Speaking to Tazpit Press Service (TPS) by phone, Muna accused media outlets trying to “highlight” Palestinian celebrations following the attack, but he said the reports did not reflect the true atmosphere in the community.

“[The media showed] that some people are celebrating the death of two Israeli Jews, but I’m not buying it,” he said. “What I did see was a very ugly day in which people were stressed and upset, not because certain people died but because we have allowed ourselves, and have been brought to the state where people are killing each other randomly in the streets.”

Asked about photograph and video documentation of community celebrations in the community, Muna said he doesn’t think that any of the mainstream Palestinian political factions are active in Jerusalem, nor do they have any influence or relevance to the daily life of Palestinians in the city.

“Of course a militant group like Hamas would want to take responsibility for militant actions, but he was not acting for any political organization and it is just for propaganda. But I don’t think these actions liberate Palestine or solve the conflict. We need a political solution,” he said.

Still, the US State Department condemned “the statements glorifying this reprehensible and cowardly attack.”