The governor of the West Bank city of Nablus said Thursday that Palestinian mothers who send their sons to die in clashes with Israeli forces should not glorify them as martyrs when they are killed.
"Some deviant mothers send their sons to commit suicide attacks. There are those who think such a mother is a fighter but she is not. She is just sending her son to his death," Ibrahim Ramadan told a local radio station.
According to Ramadan, the current time is "not appropriate" to resist Israeli occupation, and he makes sure to tell this to Palestinian militants.
Ramadan added that he had often approached Nablus militants with a request to hand over their weapons, thus receiving the protection of the Palestinian Authority. The former Fatah member of the Palestinian security forces says he intends to continue this effort.
The governor's comments sparked outrage and condemnation from the Hamas terror group, which demanded his immediate resignation.
"The statements made by the governor of Nablus, in which he directly insults the resistance and the mothers of the martyrs are condemnable and irresponsible. They cross the line of the national and moral framework of the Palestinian people," said the terror organization.
A mother of a slain Palestinian terrorist also slammed the governor. "Had he not himself been morally perverted and patriotic, he would not have insulted us, the martyrs' mothers as 'deviant,'" she said.
A new Palestinian terror group in the West Bank named Lions' Den said: "The mothers of the martyrs are the pearls of the crown. They are the reason we see the light at the end of the tunnel. We will not accept any insult of this kind."
The terror group also demanded his immediate resignation.