On April 17, 2020 Independent Jewish Voices Canada (IJV Canada), a pro-Palestinian organization, posted on its Facebook page:
Today [April 17, 2020] is Palestinian Prisoners Day. IJV joins Addameer Prisoner Support & Human Rights Association [*] in demanding the urgent release of all Palestinian prisoners & detainees from Israeli jails.
Our thoughts are also with people in prisons around the world who are struggling for their rights & access to sufficient healthcare in light of the #COVID19 pandemic.
We also call on the Canadian government to immediately release migrant detainees from jails in Canada, many of whom recently staged an 8-day hunger strike to demand their freedom.
Follow Addameer for more info on Palestinian Prisoners Day, and www.noprisons.ca or Migrant Rights Network for prisoner & migrant detainee rights campaigns in Canada.
#FreeThemAll
Palestinian Prisoners – Background
The vast majority of the Palestinian ‘security prisoners’ were convicted of involvement in serious security offenses and terrorist activities against Israel. This group includes among others suicide bombers captured alive, dispatchers of suicide bombers, mass murderers, leaders of terrorist organizations, terrorists who killed civilians and/or soldiers and those who attempted or planned to kill civilians and/or soldiers. Here are some of the prominent Palestinian ‘security prisoners’ in Israeli jail:
Abdullah al-Barghouthi – A Former commander of Hamas’ armed/ terrorist wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, in the West Bank. He was also one of the organization’s chief bomb makers (“engineer”). Barghouthi was convicted of involvement in terror attacks including the suicide attacks in Café Moment and Sbarro in Jerusalem, the Sheffield Club in Rishon Lezion, and the bus 4 line in Tel Aviv. In total, Barghouti was found responsible for the murder of 66 Israelis and the injury of around 500. In 2004 he was sentenced to 67 life sentences.
Abbas al-Sayed – Abbas al-Sayed was responsible for the 2001 Sharon shopping mall terror attack, in which 35 Israelis died and hundreds were wounded, and the 2002 Park Hotel bombing in Netanya that left 30 dead and 140 wounded. Al-Sayed was convicted in 2006 in the Tel Aviv District Court and sentenced to 35 consecutive life sentences for premeditated murder, causing grievous bodily harm with aggravated intent, and membership in Hamas, a terrorist organization. Before his arrest, al-Sayed had served as a leader of Hamas’s Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades in Tulkarem, plotting a series of suicide attacks. His cell obtained explosive belts, recruited men to carry out the bombings and hired drivers to take them to Israel. Prior to dispatching Abd el-Baset Awda to Netanya on March 27, 2002 to blow himself up at the Park Hotel, al-Sayed helped Awda write his “will” and then made a video of him reading it. Awda detonated his explosive belt in Netanya’s Park Hotel as guests gathered for a Passover Seder in one of the deadliest terror attacks of the Second Intifada.
Marwan al-Barghouthi – According to court documents, Barghouti operated under the direct command of Yasser Arafat and was beyond any doubt directly responsible for murderous activity. He was convicted of terror attacks that were performed following his direct orders, in which 5 people were murdered. In addition, the court said that Barghouti was morally responsible for many other terror attacks in which many more Israelis were murdered. Documents captured by the IDF in “Operation Defensive Shield” (April 2002) shed light on Barghouti’s involvement in commanding the terror efforts under Arafat. In those documents, Barghouti asks Arafat to authorize payments to several lists of Fatah terrorists, while he himself was approached by local commanders who asked him to authorize payments to terrorists from their units.
Ahmad Sa’adat – The Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a designated terrorist group in Canada. Sa’adat was convicted of the assassination of the Israeli Tourism Minister, Rehavam Ze’evi and other terrorist attacks carried put by PFLP. He was sentenced to 30 years in jail.
Fuad Shoubaki – Amid (Brig. Gen.) Fuad Hindi Hijazi Shoubaki (“Abu Hazm”) was the head of the accounting administration of the General Security Service and confidant of Yassir Arafat, the former Chairman of Palestinian Authority (PA). In his official capacity, Al-Shobaki stood behind the Karine-A deal with Iran and was involved in a large-scale acquisition of arms from various sources in the Palestinian Authority administered territories and abroad. Those arms were delivered to the Palestinian Authority security apparatuses and to Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terrorist squads. They were subsequently used for perpetrating terrorist attacks against Israel. Shoubaki was sentenced to 20 years in jail.
Thaer Hamad – Hamad was convicted of killing 7 soldiers, 3 civilians and injuring others in shooting attack in March 2002.
Ayman al-Sharabati – Sharabati was convicted of terrorist attacks aimed at Israeli citizen including killing one and injuring another. He was sentenced to life in prison.
Karim Yunes – Yunes was convicted of killing an Israeli soldier in 1981.
Dia Zakaria Shaker al-Agha – Al-Agha was convicted of killing an Israeli citizen.
Yassir Mahmoud Abu Bakr – Abu Bakr, an operative of the terrorist group Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, was convicted of killing two Israeli citizens, including a nine-month toddler, and an Israeli policeman.
Nael al-Barghouthi – Barghouthi was convicted of killing an Israel officer in 1978 and sentenced to life in jail. He was release in a swap deal with Hamas in 2011 and later was re-arrested after he violated the the conditions of his release.
Walid Daqqa – Israeli Arab member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). He is serving a life sentence for being part of the squad that kidnapped and murdered Israeli soldier Moshe Tamam in 1984.
*According to NGO Monitor “Addameer is a Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) “affiliate.” The PFLP is a terrorist organization designated as such by the US, EU, Canada, and Israel. For more information on Addameer’s PFLP ties, read NGO Monitor’s report “Addameer’s Ties to the PFLP Terrorist Group.”
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