West Bank Hamas leader, 200 Palestinian security prisoners released from Israeli jail

JERUSALEM (BNO NEWS) — Israel on Thursday released some 200 Palestinian security prisoners, including a prominent West Bank Hamas leader.

Sheikh Hassan Yousef, one of Hamas’ founders, was released a month and half early after spending over five years in prison for his involvement in “terror activities,” Israel’s Haaretz newspaper reported. The Israel Prison Service said it released the security prisoners as a gesture in honor of the holiday of Ramadan.

Palestinian sources, however, said that the prisoners had already served their sentences. The Palestinian Prisoner’s Club (PPC) described the act “as an Israeli media ploy”, according to Palestine News & Information Agency.

The head of the PPC in Ramallah, Qaddura Fares, said that the Israeli government is trying to deceive the world by releasing prisoners who have already served their sentences. He added that the prisons’ administration has allegedly started to impose a series of collective punishment against the prisoners since the beginning of Ramadan.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on June 23 that the country will revoke “benefits and privileges” from Palestinians incarcerated in Israeli prisons. Netanyahu was responding to Hamas’ refusal to let the International Red Cross visit soldier Gilad Schalit.

On June 25, 2006, Shalit, a Staff Sergeant with the Israeli Defense Forces, was abducted by Hamas militants and has been held in captivity since.

Thursday, August 4th, 2011

Source: WireUpdate.
Link: http://wireupdate.com/wires/19273/west-bank-hamas-leader-200-palestinian-security-prisoners-released-from-israeli-jail/.