A few days ago, Dr. Mohammad Shtayyeh, the Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), tweeted about meeting Shaheed Bin Yusuf Stakala, “who walked all the way from Cape Town in South Africa to Jerusalem to pray in Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound in a journey that lasted over two years.”
From WAFA, the PNA’s own news agency:
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shtayyeh welcomed Stakala, saying that his journey to Palestine and Jerusalem built a new bridge between South Africa and Palestine.
“God willing, we will invite you to visit Palestine through our airlines and airport, after ending the occupation and establishing our independent state,” the prime minister told Stakala.
Shtayyeh stressed that Stakala is a living witness to what he has seen on the way to Jerusalem, urging him to tell the people of his country and the countries he will visit along his journey about the suffering of the Palestinian people.
It’s a shame Dr. Mohammad Shtayyeh doesn’t use Google before receiving guests. A simple search of ‘Shaheed Bin Yusuf Stakala’ would have uncovered the fact that he met with an alleged conman.
Shahid Stkala, a young South African, arrived in the Palestinian Territories, claiming to have reached them on foot, on a journey that lasted two years and two months.
With these arguments, he was able to meet Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh, and then deceive a number of Palestinians. As soon as his name appeared and his photos spread to the media, his truth was revealed.
Journalist Faisal Sayed, who works for several agencies in South Africa, wrote in a post on Twitter that “Shahid Stkala” had deceived Palestine.
He explained in a post on Facebook that the man coming from South Africa and met with the Prime Minister is one of the most wanted people in his country, and he had stolen a lot of Hajj and Umrah money for many people there.
Victims of his fraud, swindling, and their stories appeared on Faisal Sayed’s show and many other media outlets that warned the public about his criminal behavior.
More here.
Awkward.
I’m just surprised Shtayyeh’s tweet and the WAFA news item are still up.
Although there does seem to be something rather poetic about the palestinian leadership getting conned – given they’ve conned the world.
Hat tip: Michal
