Official PA daily presents terrorist prisoner as victim, fails to mention he planned attacks that murdered 20
Headline: “Prisoner Thabet Merdawi began his 17th year in the occupation’s prisons”
“Prisoner Thabet Azmi Suleiman Merdawi, 42, from the village of Araba south of Jenin, began his 17th consecutive year in the occupation’s prisons yesterday, Thursday [April 5, 2018].
Director of the [PA-funded] Prisoners’ Club in Jenin Muntasir Sammour reported to [the official PA news agency] WAFA that prisoner Merdawi was arrested on April 11, 2002, after he was wounded by two bullets, one of which split his hip and the other wounded his arm. He also explained that the occupation sentenced prisoner Merdawi to 21 life sentences and another 40 years. Sammour noted that the occupation put prisoner Merdawi in isolation for three consecutive years. In addition, he suffers from back pains and is in need of urgent surgery, but the occupation is delaying in performing it, and he has been transferred to Ramle Hospital several times since he was arrested.”
Thabet Merdawi - leading member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Jenin who planned at least 9 terror attacks that murdered 20 Israelis and wounded 150 in 2001-2002: Binyamina train station suicide bombing (July 16, 2001, 2 murdered), Kibbutz Shluhot suicide bombing (Oct. 7, 2001, 1 murdered), Hadera Market shooting attack (Oct. 28, 2001, 4 murdered), Wadi Ara suicide bombings (Nov. 29, 2001, 3 murdered, and March 20, 2002, 5 murdered), Afula central bus station suicide bombing (March 5, 2002, 1 murdered). Merdawi turned himself in to Israeli security forces on April 11, 2002, during the Israeli military operation Defensive Shield. He was convicted and sentenced to 21 life sentences and 40 years.
“Prisoner Thabet Azmi Suleiman Merdawi, 42, from the village of Araba south of Jenin, began his 17th consecutive year in the occupation’s prisons yesterday, Thursday [April 5, 2018].
Director of the [PA-funded] Prisoners’ Club in Jenin Muntasir Sammour reported to [the official PA news agency] WAFA that prisoner Merdawi was arrested on April 11, 2002, after he was wounded by two bullets, one of which split his hip and the other wounded his arm. He also explained that the occupation sentenced prisoner Merdawi to 21 life sentences and another 40 years. Sammour noted that the occupation put prisoner Merdawi in isolation for three consecutive years. In addition, he suffers from back pains and is in need of urgent surgery, but the occupation is delaying in performing it, and he has been transferred to Ramle Hospital several times since he was arrested.”
Thabet Merdawi - leading member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Jenin who planned at least 9 terror attacks that murdered 20 Israelis and wounded 150 in 2001-2002: Binyamina train station suicide bombing (July 16, 2001, 2 murdered), Kibbutz Shluhot suicide bombing (Oct. 7, 2001, 1 murdered), Hadera Market shooting attack (Oct. 28, 2001, 4 murdered), Wadi Ara suicide bombings (Nov. 29, 2001, 3 murdered, and March 20, 2002, 5 murdered), Afula central bus station suicide bombing (March 5, 2002, 1 murdered). Merdawi turned himself in to Israeli security forces on April 11, 2002, during the Israeli military operation Defensive Shield. He was convicted and sentenced to 21 life sentences and 40 years.