 Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert |
JERUSALEM – As a stated gesture to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert today granted full amnesty to 45 terrorists from Abbas’ Fatah organization, Palestinian security officials told WND.
The amnesty comes just five days after WND reported information obtained indicates specific Fatah terrorists granted amnesty in recent months by Olmert plotted a foiled large-scale bombing of Tel Aviv’s central bus station.
Olmert granted the full pardons as a gesture to Abbas to mark the Muslim holiday of Ein Al Adha, which took place today and commemorates the Islamic belief that Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to Allah. The Bible relates Abraham was willing to sacrifice his other son, Isaac, and not Ishmael.
The pardoned terrorists are all members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the so-called military wing of Fatah. The Brigades took credit along with the Islamic Jihad terror group for every suicide bombing in Israel in 2005, 2006 and 2007, as well as for scores of shootings and rocket attacks aimed at Jewish civilian population centers.
Last June, Olmert granted temporary amnesty to 178 terrorists on condition they disarm, refrain from attacks and spend three months in PA detention facilities and another three months confined to the West Bank city in which they reside. If the terrorists completed their side of the deal, Olmert’s office would grant permanent amnesty, allowing them freedom of movement in the West Bank and taking them off Israel’s most wanted list of terrorists to ensure they are not arrested.
In spite of rampant Israeli media reports that many of the 178 pardoned terrorists refused to disarm and continued carrying out attacks, Olmert last October pardoned 48 more Al Aqsa Brigades members and earlier this year pardoned at least 80 more. About 45 percent of the temporarily pardoned terrorists received permanent Israeli amnesty in coordination with Olmert’s office and Israel’s Shin Bet Security Services.
Olmert granted the new list amnesty in spite of information dozens of terrorists recently granted full amnesty were later involved in attacks, such as last week’s foiled suicide bombing.
Other gestures to Abbas include the reported release of 230 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails and the granting of permission to Palestinian men over the age of 40 and married women of all ages to enter Israel to visit their immediate families.
The gestures do not require any reciprocation from the Palestinian side.
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