Senior Palestinian Authority (P.A.) officials privately praised the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas massacre in its earliest hours, calling it �the greatest day in Palestinian history,� according to a prominent Palestinian researcher.

The claim was made by Hani al-Masri, director general of Masarat, the Palestinian Center for Policy Research and Strategic Studies, during a YouTube interview with Palestinian content creator Ahmad Biqawi. When asked how the Palestinian leadership reacted on the morning of the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel � which left some 1,200 people dead, most of them civilians � al-Masri said that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas viewed the attack in celebratory terms.

Al-Masri described the reaction in Ramallah as one of praise rather than shock or restraint, characterizing the massacre as a historic triumph rather than an act of mass murder.

Israel�s Foreign Ministry responded forcefully Wednesday, amplifying the interview clip in an official post on X.

�This is the �authority� people want the �Palestinian Authority� to be? A terror-worshiping authority,� the ministry wrote.

The ministry underscored al-Masri�s stature within the Palestinian political ecosystem, noting that he serves on the Board of Trustees of the Yasser Arafat Foundation � a position that makes him deeply familiar with the inner workings and mindset of the P.A.

The revelation comes as the Palestinian Authority continues to present itself to Western governments as a moderate alternative to Hamas and a potential governing partner in postwar Gaza. Israeli officials argue that al-Masri�s remarks expose a starkly different reality.

In the same interview, al-Masri said the P.A. has continued making payments to families of imprisoned terrorists and so-called �martyrs,� despite repeated commitments to the European Union and the United States to dismantle the �pay-for-slay� program.

That practice � under which financial stipends are provided to Palestinians convicted of terrorism and to the families of those killed while carrying out attacks � has been a central point of contention between Israel and the P.A. for years.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa�ar highlighted al-Masri�s comments Wednesday, accusing Abbas of once again deceiving international partners.

�The Palestinian Authority continues to pay terrorists and murderers � and lies about it,� Sa�ar wrote in a post on X. He said the P.A. is now attempting to conceal the payments by rebranding them as pensions for members of the Palestinian Security Services.

�This is distorted,� Sa�ar added. �End �pay-for-slay� now!�

Israeli officials say the comments further undermine claims that the P.A. can be reformed or trusted to play a stabilizing role in the region, particularly as Western governments weigh proposals that would elevate Ramallah�s authority after the war in Gaza.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)