Although some muslims denied the death of Jesus, in an attempt to resist the Lordship of Jesus Christ, several Palestinian leaders repeated the claim Jesus was a Palestinian, but one took it a step further, calling him the first Islamic martyr.
Tawfiq Tirawi, a senior Palestinian leader and Fatah Central Committee member, made the claim that Islamic tradition would mean Jesus is rewarded in heaven with 72 virgins, as the ‘first Islamic Martyr,’ the Jerusalem Post reported — an argument many Christians considered as extremely blasphemous.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called Christmas a “Palestinian holiday” that “it is ours” on the official PA TV News.
“As documented many times by Palestinian Media Watch, the Palestinian Authority rewrites history, both ancient and recent, according to its political and internal needs,” Itamar Marcus wrote for the non-profit research institute.
“As a people without a history who are attempting to create a national identity, teaching Palestinians that Jesus, one of the most important and admired historical figures, was a Palestinian, is their attempt to trick primarily their own people into believing that they have not only an ancient history but a glorious national identity.”