[Elder of Ziyon] UNDP builds school named after Hamas terrorist

From the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center:

On July 8 a new elementary school was opened in the Gaza Strip, named for arch-terrorist Adnan al-Ghoul. It is located near the former Netzarim junction in the northwest Gaza Strip, a region from which Israel withdrew during the unilateral disengagement in 2005. The opening ceremony was attended by Ismail Haniya, head of the de-facto Hamas administration in the Gaza Strip, and Osama al-Muzeini, the administration's minister of education. Construction of the school was financed by Libya and implemented by the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) in the Gaza Strip, a UN agency dealing with helping poor and developing countries.

Speaking before the audience at the opening ceremony, Ismail Haniya said that the school had been built a few meters from the site of the death of Muhammad Durrah, who, he said "ignited the second intifada."2 Haniya made a point of saying that Adnan al-Ghoul had been a prominent figure in the history of the "resistance" [i.e., anti-Israeli terrorism], noting that "he was not an ordinary jihad fighter or shaheed [martyr for the sake of Allah]" (Ma'an News Agency, Dunya al-Watan, the Hamas forum and Al-Quds, July 10, 2012)

Adnan al-Ghoul, for whom the school was named, was not an "ordinary rank-and-file" terrorist operative but rather a top-ranking terrorist of Hamas' military-terrorist apparatus in the Gaza Strip. He specialized in the preparation of IEDs and developed the Qassam rocket system for Hamas (earning him the nickname "father of the Qassam"). He was the right-hand man of Muhammad Deif, head of Hamas' military-terrorist wing, and had an important role in Hamas' plot to sabotage the Oslo Accords. For example, Al- Ghoul was involved in manufacturing the bombs used in the double attack at the Beit Lid junction in the center of Israel on January 22, 1995, in which 22 Israelis were killed. He also prepared the explosive belt for the 1996 Purim suicide bombing at Dizengoff Center in the heart of Tel Aviv, in which ten Israeli civilian were killed. He died in an Israeli Air Force targeted killing on October 21, 2004.

The UNDP issued a press release defending itself:

As part of its mandate, UNDP's Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People supports a wide range of development initiatives, including education projects such as building schools.

UNDP implemented the construction of this school that was upon completion, handed over to the Ministry of Education.

The implementation was done under the "direct execution modality" without any involvement of the de-facto authorities in Gaza.

UNDP was also not involved or present at the opening ceremony and has no role whatsoever in naming or in any other activity related to the school.

Through its work, UNDP and the UN system at-large aims to build lasting peace and prosperity throughout the region.

This is disingenuous. The Ministry of Education in Gaza is Hamas. It is separate from the Ministry of Education for the Palestinian Authority (although it does still use the PA logo, their websites are distinct and don't link to each other.) There is no way that the UNDP didn't know that this school would be run by Hamas or that the "Ministry of Education" is essentially Hamas.

For example, here is a photo from a ceremony from a previous event in Gaza sponsored by this Ministry:

Not much subtlety there.

UNDP's "see no evil" policy is what allows Hamas to gain legitimacy.

(h/t Daniel)

--
Posted By Elder of Ziyon to Elder of Ziyon at 7/23/2012 01:30:00 PM