| Submit your comments on this article |
| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Israel cancels amnesty for Nablus man |
| 2009-12-01 |
| [Ma'an] Israel cancelled an agreement to grant amnesty to a Palestinian fighter, Palestinian security sources said on Monday. Mahdi Maraqa, 37, was granted a full pardon and removed from Israel's "wanted" list in 2008 under an deal negotiated by the Palestinian Authority. He was working as an officer in the PA's intelligence service in the city of Nablus. Israel has now decreed that the PA arrest Maraqa and hold him in Juneid prison in Nablus. Maraqa also recently travelled to Jordan but was deported back to the West Bank. Approached by Ma'an Maraqa said that contacts were underway to find out why Israel cancelled his pardon. He declined to comment further on the issue. Hundreds of former fighters have signed amnesty agreements, in which they vow to give up armed resistance in exchange for Israel's promise not to arrest or kill them. Also on Monday, 12 of former guerillas involved in the amnesty process in Juneid prison said they had been on a hunger strike for four days demanding that Israel conclude the agreement and permit the PA to release them. On Thursday, Ma'an revealed that Israel agreed to remove 90 former Palestinian fighters from its list of "wanted" men on the eve of the Muslim Eid Al-Adha holiday and to pardon 26 of the men. |
| Posted by:Fred |