Israel Agrees To Release Hunger-Striking Palestinian Terrorist In Return For Terminating His Strike

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Israeli security officials agreed Tuesday not to renew the detention of administrative detainee Hisham Abu Hawash who had been on hunger strike for the past 141 days. In return Hawash agreed to stop his hunger strike.

The International Committee of the Red Cross, whose medical teams visited Abu Hawash over the weekend, said he was in “critical condition”, warning of “potentially irreversible health consequences and possible tragic loss of life”.

An Israeli security source noted February 26 would be the end of his current six-month detention period, meaning it wasn’t shortened, but at the same time, the deal meant Israel would not renew it.

The source described Abu Hawash as “an Islamic Jihad operative, who was arrested due to involvement in terror activity”.

Islamic Jihad terrorist elements in Gaza had threatened in recent days to renew rocket attacks on Israel in the event that Hawash, who was in serious condition in the Assaf Harofeh hospital, would die as a result of the hunger strike.

PA officials from the office of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas also intervened on behalf of Hawash. The official Palestinian television outlet reported that under the direction of Abbas and the close monitoring of the PA intelligence chief, the issue of prisoner Hisham Abu Hawash had come to a conclusion.

A Hamas spokesman said he “congratulates Hisham Abu Hawash on his victory over the Zionist prisons, he has once again demonstrated the ability of the Palestinian people to show resilience and forcibly achieve their victories over Israel.”

Right-wing MKs were quick to condemn Israel’s behavior regarding Hawash. MK Bezalel Smotrich of the Religious Zionism party termed it ‘capitulation to terror’, adding that the blame for the release should fall on the Arab elements in the government.

“There is no other way to call it. A government that relies on terrorists and has made us all their hostages.”

In the past terrorists have successfully used hunger strikes as a means of pressuring Israel to release them or improve jail conditions. In May 2012, some 1,550 Palestinian Arabs imprisoned in Israel ended a hunger strike in exchange for a package of measures which would allow visits from relatives in Gaza and the transfer of detainees out of solitary confinement. Later, the terrorists were found to have been secretly eating during the hunger strike.

After the announcement of Hawash’s release ,Otzma Yehudit chairman MK Itamar Ben Gvir arrived on Tuesday evening at Assaf Harofeh Hospital where Hawash is hospitalized. Ben Gvir was met by family members of the terrorist carrying Palestinian flags and demanded that security guards remove the flags.

MK Ayman Odeh, chairman of the Joint List, also arrived at the hospital. Odeh began shouting “victory for the Palestinian people” to which Ben Gvir replied, “You are a terrorist, a terrorist, the Shin Bet should have eliminated Abu Hawash in a targeted assassination.”