JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Palestinian Authority canceled a ceremony to honor a woman who led the 1978 hijacking of a bus in which 35 Israelis were killed.
A traffic circle in Ramallah was supposed to be named for Dalal Mughrabi and a memorial plaque unveiled Thursday, according to reports.
The event was canceled Wednesday to avoid antagonizing visiting U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, according to reports. Biden already has been surprised during the visit by an Israeli ministry’s announcement of an approval to build 1,600 apartments in a ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in eastern Jerusalem.
A new date has not been set for the ceremony, Ynet reported.
Mughrabi and several other terrorists landed on a northern Israeli beach from Lebanon. They shot an American photographer and then hijacked a bus, which Mughrabi blew up. All of the terrorists were killed.
Mughrabi is considered a Palestinian hero.
Netanyahu had asked the U.S. government to condemn the scheduled ceremony.
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