Times of Israel reports on PMW bulletin about PA visits to prisoners
PA minister visited terrorists’ families over Ramadan
TV and official Fatah Facebook pages also extol attacks against Israelis, Palestinian watchdog finds
by Elhanan Miller
The Palestinian minister for prisoner affairs visited the families of terrorists involved in suicide attacks against Israelis over the month of Ramadan, as official PA media glorified the killing of Israelis.
According to a report in the Palestinian daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadidah, minister Issa Karake visited the family of Ahmad Salah, who was sentenced to 21 life sentences for his involvement in two suicide bombings in Jerusalem in 2003 and 2004, Palestinian Media Watch reported on Thursday. He also visited the home of Hilmi Hammash, sentenced to 12 life sentences for his role in a January 2004 bus bombing in Jerusalem.
The families of prisoners serving time in Israeli jails receive a monthly stipend from the Palestinian territories, and upon their release the prisoners themselves receive an allowance often higher than the average Palestinian salary.
In addition to the ministerial visits, Palestinian terrorist masterminds were regularly glorified during Ramadan on official Fatah Facebook pages and on Palestinian TV, where Fatah leader Tayseer Al-Bardini extolled the actions of the terrorists and referred to them as “heroes.”
On Tuesday, Israel released 26 long-term Palestinian prisoners as a goodwill measure ahead of a new round of negotiations.
Kadoura Fares, head of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, told The Times of Israel in April that Palestinians typically do not differentiate between prisoners who killed soldiers and those who killed civilians.