(PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas spent part of Sunday night meeting with a former senior commander of the Fatah-affiliated al-Aksa Martys Brigades, recently released from prison for plotting a suicide bombing attack 16 years ago.
Photos of Rafat Jawabra meeting Abbas in the PA president’s office on Sunday evening were posted on Fatah’s official Facebook page and in the post, Jawabra is referred to as the commander of the al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades, a known terrorist organization.
As head of a Fatah terrorist cell in the Bethlehem area, Jawabra helped plot a suicide bombing attack against Israel in 2002. The bomber, a resident of the village of al-Doha near Bethlehem, tried detonating an suicide bomb belt at the entrance to a supermarket in Efrat. The belt did not detonate and after he was identified as a bomber, the attacker was shot and killed by a local resident. Jawabra was later caught by the IDF and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. He was released two weeks ago.
In May, while still in prison, Jawabra was elected the mayor of al-Doha on the Fatah ticket.
In another Facebook post, Jawabra is seen speaking at a rally with armed and masked gunmen, honoring him upon his release from prison.
Ofir Gendelman, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesman for Arabic media, slammed Abbas for meeting the convicted terrorist.
“Abu Mazen celebrated Christmas not by hosting Christians who are oppressed in the Palestinian Authority but by honoring a terrorist whose hands are stained with the blood of innocent citizens,” he wrote on Twitter. “The culture of Palestinian terrorism destroys every glimmer of hope for peace.”
PA Pres Abbas celebrated #Christmas by honoring a Fatah terrorist who masterminded terror attacks that targeted Israelis & was released from Israeli prison after 15 years. This is how the terrorist’s old buddies welcomed him.
This culture of terrorism kills any chance for peace. pic.twitter.com/eCVr5c0ZIg
— Ofir Gendelman (@ofirgendelman) December 26, 2017
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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One Response
Israeli govt is foolish enough to release convicted terrorists instead of stringing them up like Saddam Hussein and the Nazis y”sh. They don’t want peace, and they will only go right back to their evil terrorist ways. Execute the terrorists for their crimes while you still have Nikki at the UN to tell the world to stuff it!