A Palestinian daily newspaper controlled by the ruling Fatah party published a political cartoon on Tuesday depicting a devout Muslim man praying for Allah to destroy US military forces in the Middle East.

Printed in Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, the cartoon shows the fervently praying man's words being encapsulated in missiles aimed at a US F-117 stealth fighter of the type commonly used during the initial combat phase of the Second Gulf War.

The prayer was published specially for the Al-Qadr Night, the 27th day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims customarily pray through the night at local mosques.

Translation of the cartoon was provided by Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), an Israeli watchdog group that monitors the Palestinian Authority-controlled press. PMW Director Itamar Marcus noted that Tuesday's cartoon further identified the Palestinian Authority of "moderate" Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas "with those who fight and kill Americans."