PFLP official: Terrorist prisoners serving life sentences for murder are only guilty of fighting “to live in dignity”
In October 2011, the Israeli government agreed to release 1,027 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prison in exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who had been held hostage by Hamas for more than 5 years. PA TV program about the prisoner exchange against the background of the ongoing prisoner hunger strike.
Abd Al-Rahim Malouh, Deputy Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine: "Our Palestinian prisoners – Ahmad Sa'adat, Marwan Barghouti, Abd Al-Karim Barghouti (Abdallah Barghouti)… all the prisoners, without exception, are being held captive by the Israelis. Why are they captives [rather than prisoners]? We must answer this. They were taken captive for ---- (word unclear) that they are fighting for their people, for their homeland, for their right to live in dignity, free in this regard."
Note: Ahmad Sa'adat - serving a 30-year sentence for heading the PFLP terror organization. A song at a PFLP event also praised him for planning the assassination of Israeli Minister of Tourism Rehavam Ze'evi in 2001, but he has not been tried for this crime.
Marwan Barghouti - serving five life sentences for orchestrating terror attacks against Israeli civilians. When arrested in 2002, he headed the Tanzim (Fatah terror faction). After he was convicted and imprisoned, he was re-elected member of the Palestinian Authority parliament.
PMW has not been able to find information on the last prisoner mentioned, Abd Al-Karim Barghouti. It is likely that the PFLP official meant the prisoner Abdallah Barghouti, who, like the other mentioned prisoners, was not released in the Shalit exchange.
Abdallah Barghouti - serving 67 life sentences for preparing explosives for terror attacks in which 67 people were murdered: Sbarro restaurant (15 killed, Aug. 9, 2001), Sheffield Club (15 killed, May 7, 2002), Moment Café (11 killed, March 9, 2002), triple attack at Ben Yehuda pedestrian mall (11 killed, Dec. 1, 2001), Hebrew University (9 killed, July 1, 2002), and Bus 4 in Tel Aviv (6 killed, Sept. 19, 2002).
Abd Al-Rahim Malouh, Deputy Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine: "Our Palestinian prisoners – Ahmad Sa'adat, Marwan Barghouti, Abd Al-Karim Barghouti (Abdallah Barghouti)… all the prisoners, without exception, are being held captive by the Israelis. Why are they captives [rather than prisoners]? We must answer this. They were taken captive for ---- (word unclear) that they are fighting for their people, for their homeland, for their right to live in dignity, free in this regard."
Note: Ahmad Sa'adat - serving a 30-year sentence for heading the PFLP terror organization. A song at a PFLP event also praised him for planning the assassination of Israeli Minister of Tourism Rehavam Ze'evi in 2001, but he has not been tried for this crime.
Marwan Barghouti - serving five life sentences for orchestrating terror attacks against Israeli civilians. When arrested in 2002, he headed the Tanzim (Fatah terror faction). After he was convicted and imprisoned, he was re-elected member of the Palestinian Authority parliament.
PMW has not been able to find information on the last prisoner mentioned, Abd Al-Karim Barghouti. It is likely that the PFLP official meant the prisoner Abdallah Barghouti, who, like the other mentioned prisoners, was not released in the Shalit exchange.
Abdallah Barghouti - serving 67 life sentences for preparing explosives for terror attacks in which 67 people were murdered: Sbarro restaurant (15 killed, Aug. 9, 2001), Sheffield Club (15 killed, May 7, 2002), Moment Café (11 killed, March 9, 2002), triple attack at Ben Yehuda pedestrian mall (11 killed, Dec. 1, 2001), Hebrew University (9 killed, July 1, 2002), and Bus 4 in Tel Aviv (6 killed, Sept. 19, 2002).