The United Nations has withdrawn its support for a Palestinian women’s centre which was named after a terrorist.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) named the cultural centre, which opened earlier this month, after Dalal Mughrabi, who took part in the 1978 Coastal Road massacre.
Mughrabi was one of 13 Palestinian guerrillas who hijacked a bus travelling to Tel Aviv, before killing 38 civilians – 13 of them children – and wounding more than 70 others. Mughrabi died during the attack.
A statement on behalf of UN Secretary General António Guterres read: “The United Nations disassociated itself from the centre once it learned the offensive name chosen for it and will take measures to ensure that such incidents do not take place in the future.
“The glorification of terrorism, or the perpetrators of heinous terrorist acts, is unacceptable under any circumstances. The UN has repeatedly called for an end to incitement to violence and hatred as they present one of the obstacles to peace.
“The United Nations support to this community ended last year and it has asked for the logo of UN Women to be removed immediately. Furthermore, the inauguration of the centre took place after the UN’s association with it.”
Two days earlier Norway’s Foreign Minister, Børge Brende, condemned the PA for naming the centre after Mughrabi, demanding funds sent by Norway for the construction of the centre be returned.
Mr Brende said: “The glorification of terrorist attacks is completely unacceptable, and I deplore this decision in the strongest possible terms.
“Norway will not allow itself to be associated with institutions that take the names of terrorists in this way. We will not accept the use of Norwegian aid funding for such purposes.”
The Norwegian branch of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem brought the matter to the attention of Mr Brende, whose “swift and clear” rebuke was praised by the group.
Apart from the centre in Burqa, in the West Bank, the PA has named a number of sites after figures who featured in the 1978 massacre.
