RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — The party of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is praising the gunmen who killed 24 people when they attacked an Israeli airport in 1972.

Three members of the Japanese Red Army recruited by a Palestinian militant group, opened fire and threw grenades, killing eight Israelis and 16 foreign tourists. The post on Fatah's official Facebook page Wednesday came ahead of the anniversary of the attack.

"A thousand greetings to the Japanese fighter and comrade Kozo Okamoto, the hero of the Lod airport operation," the post reads, accompanied by photos.

Munir Jaghob, a Fatah media official, said "We are proud of all the people who worked for the Palestinian cause."

Palestinian Media Watch, an Israeli group, accused Fatah of having a policy of "glorifying terrorists on the date of their attacks."