U.N., EU offer social services to pardoned terrorists

September 20, 2007

TEL AVIV – The United Nations has initiated a program to provide “job training” and “family assistance” purportedly to integrate into Palestinian society terrorists granted amnesty in July by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Many of the terrorists now slated for aid have boasted of violating their amnesty agreement by refusing to disarm and reportedly continuing to attack the Jewish state.

Israel has information some of the pardoned terrorists have been coordinating activities with the Lebanese Hezbollah terrorist organization.

In a gesture to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Olmert granted the official amnesty to 178 West Bank-based members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Fatah’s declared military wing, which took responsibility along with the Islamic Jihad terror group for every suicide bombing in Israel the past two years.

The amnesty agreement required the terrorists disarm, refrain from terror activities and restrict their movements to the area in which they reside for three months.

Now the U.N. Development Program is stepping in with plans to provide job training and assistance for the Palestinian gunmen and their families. The program states its aim is to “reintegrate” the pardoned Al-Aqsa Brigades gunmen into civil society. The initial funding is reportedly coming from the European Union.

Under the planned program, “a team of experts” is slated to meet with each pardoned gunmen to council him on establishing a new life.

Palestinian Interior Minister Abdur Razzaq Mahmoud al-Yahya reportedly ordered Palestinian regional governors to coordinate with the UNDP and the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution to kick start the program.

But the pardoned terrorists don’t seem ready to join civilian life just yet.

The Israel Defense Forces has arrested a number of pardoned Al Aqsa Brigades members carrying arms and planning terror attacks, according to security sources. In one instance, earlier this week Brigades member Fadi Al-Kene was nabbed after he was caught smuggling explosives in the West Bank city of Nablus, or biblical Shechem. Al-Kene was carrying a small pistol at the time of his arrest.

Also, earlier this week, WND quoted security sources stating Israel’s Shin Bet Security Services passed information to Abed al-Razeq El-Yehia, the PA’s minister of internal security, allegedly showing Brigades members granted amnesty have been communicating with Hezbollah, receiving instructions and funds from the Lebanese group.

Last Friday, three Israelis – two women and a man – were ambushed by Palestinian gunmen as they were driving between the West Bank Jewish communities of Karnei Shomron and Kidumim. According to Brigades sources, the attack was carried out by Brigades snipers.

The past few weeks, Brigades members, including those on Olmert’s amnesty list, carried out a series of attacks against the IDF, according to Brigades sources. The attacks included shootings and the lobbing of grenades at IDF patrols.

Last month, WND reported Israel’s captured of an armed Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades member who was smuggling bullets from Jenin to Nablus but let him go after it was determined he was on a list of wanted gunmen granted amnesty by Olmert.

Ayad Frehat, a Brigades leader in the West Bank city of Jenin, told WND last week his group in the West Bank would not disarm or cease attacks on the Jewish state in spite of an amnesty.

“We respect our leaders but will keep fighting until Israel withdraws completely from the West Bank. We are the resistance. We will keep fighting and never give up our weapons until Israel withdraws,” said Frehat.

“Whenever the Israeli army acts in the West Bank, we will fight side-by-side with our brothers from the other resistance movements,” he added.

Terrorists: Amnesty, shamnesty

According to statements by Palestinian officials and reports by the media, most Brigades terrorists on the amnesty list turned in their weapons in line with the deal. But calls to the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades members who received amnesty yielded a much different story.

Abu Yousuf, a senior leader of the Brigades in Ramallah, told WND most Brigades members turned in one of several pieces of weaponry they possess. He said most Brigades members have two to three guns, including one to two personal weapons and one assault rifle issued by the PA, since the majority of Brigades members are also members of Fatah’s security forces.

“It’s true Brigades members turned in one of their weapons as a symbolic act, but they kept the others,” he said.

Yousuf is suspected of shooting at Israeli forces operating in Ramallah. He carried out a shooting attack in northern Samaria in December 2000 that killed Benyamin Kahane, leader of the nationalist Kahane Chai organization.

Ala Senakreh, overall chief of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in the West Bank and one of the terrorists granted amnesty, told WND the one weapon he turned in to the PA is “easily accessible.”

“It’s close by and available to me anytime I need an additional weapon,” he said.

Senakreh said aside from “protecting” himself from Israel, weapons were also needed for protection from rival clans and members of Palestinian families of suspected “Israeli collaborators” killed in recent years by the Brigades.

“We killed several collaborators, so now I am a walking target. What if one of the family members tries to take revenge?” he asked.

Kamal Ranam, chief of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in Ramallah, laughing, said he is still armed.

Not all Brigades members even signed their amnesty deals.

Nasser Abu Aziz, the No. 2 leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and Senakreh’s main deputy, told WND he will not sign the agreement, calling the deal “an Israeli trick.”

“I am sure this is part of an Israeli conspiracy against our fighters,” Aziz said.

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