PA Minister of Education meets with families of "Martyrs," promises that return of terrorists' bodies will be discussed on school radio stations
Headline: "Saidam met with a delegation of families of the Martyrs whose bodies are being held [by Israel]"
"[PA] Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr. Sabri Saidam met today [Dec. 15, 2016] in his office with a delegation of families of the Martyrs (Shahids) whose bodies are being held [by Israel], and particularly [families] of school and university students, and discussed with them the steps that the ministry can take in order to raise the issue at the different levels. At the beginning of the meeting, Minister Saidam welcomed the Martyrs' families and opened [the meeting] by reading the opening [Sura] for the souls of the Martyrs. Likewise, he emphasized that the ministry will not be negligent in fulfilling its role regarding the issue of the occupation keeping the bodies, as he believes keeping [the bodies] is not consistent with the international conventions and norms and the principles of religious tolerance.
He noted that the ministry will send notices to all the [PA] education directorates in order to discuss the subject on the school radio stations, and emphasized that the ministry will again emphasize its demands of the international organizations and the human rights organizations to bear their responsibilities in this matter, parallel to the pressure to release the student prisoners."
The following are some of the terrorists whose bodies are being held by Israel:
Muhammad Taraireh – 17-year-old Palestinian terrorist, who stabbed and murdered 13-year-old American Israeli Hallel Yaffa Ariel, as she slept in her bed, in her home in Kiryat Arba near Hebron, on June 30, 2016. Taraireh also injured one of the Israeli security personnel before he was shot and killed.
Muhammad Al-Faqih – 29-year-old Hamas terrorist who had previously been imprisoned for planning terror attacks when affiliated with the Islamic Jihad, and Muhammad Amira, terrorist and a member of the PA police force, murdered Rabbi Michael Mark, a 48-year-old father of ten, in a shooting attack on July 1, 2016 on Route 60 in the southern Har Hebron region. Al-Faqih opened fire on the Mark family's car causing the vehicle to overturn and crash. Amira was driving the car from which Al-Faqih shot at them. Rabbi Mark’s wife Chava, 40, was also seriously wounded in the attack, and two of their children were injured – their daughter Tehila, 15, and their son Pedayah, 16. Al-Faqih and Amira fled the scene, but were located by the Israeli army on July 27, 2016. Al-Faqih resisted arrest and shot at the soldiers from his home where he had barricaded himself. Al-Faqih was killed when the Israeli soldiers shot an anti-tank missile and other artillery at his house. Amira was arrested.
Abd Al-Hamid Abu Sorour – 19-year-old Hamas terrorist who on April 18, 2016, carried out a suicide bombing attack on bus no. 12 in the Talpiot neighborhood in southeast Jerusalem. 21 people were injured in the attack. Abu Sorour died of his injuries a few days later in an Israeli hospital.
Musbah Abu Sbeih – 39-year-old Palestinian terrorist who murdered 2 Israelis and wounded 5 others in 3 drive-by shooting attacks in Jerusalem on Oct. 9, 2016. Abu Sbeih, who held Israeli residency status, began his shooting spree at the Ammunition Hill light rail stop and continued to the Shimon Hatzadik neighborhood. He was killed in an exchange of fire with Israeli border police officers during the attack. On the morning of the attack, Abu Sbeih was due to turn himself in to begin a 4 month jail sentence, after being convicted in January 2015 on numerous counts of inciting to terror and supporting a terror organization. On his Facebook page, Abu Sbeih praised terror groups including Hamas as well as terrorists who carried out attacks and actively called for attacks against Israelis. In July 2016, Abu Sbeih was given a distancing order from the Temple Mount that was to be in effect until the end of October 2016.
Muhammad Turkeman –Palestinian Authority police officer who carried out a shooting attack on Oct. 31, 2016, at a checkpoint near Beit El, at the entrance to Ramallah. Using a Kalashnikov assault rifle, Turkeman shot and wounded 3 Israeli soldiers before being shot and killed by other Israeli soldiers.
"[PA] Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr. Sabri Saidam met today [Dec. 15, 2016] in his office with a delegation of families of the Martyrs (Shahids) whose bodies are being held [by Israel], and particularly [families] of school and university students, and discussed with them the steps that the ministry can take in order to raise the issue at the different levels. At the beginning of the meeting, Minister Saidam welcomed the Martyrs' families and opened [the meeting] by reading the opening [Sura] for the souls of the Martyrs. Likewise, he emphasized that the ministry will not be negligent in fulfilling its role regarding the issue of the occupation keeping the bodies, as he believes keeping [the bodies] is not consistent with the international conventions and norms and the principles of religious tolerance.
He noted that the ministry will send notices to all the [PA] education directorates in order to discuss the subject on the school radio stations, and emphasized that the ministry will again emphasize its demands of the international organizations and the human rights organizations to bear their responsibilities in this matter, parallel to the pressure to release the student prisoners."
The following are some of the terrorists whose bodies are being held by Israel:
Muhammad Taraireh – 17-year-old Palestinian terrorist, who stabbed and murdered 13-year-old American Israeli Hallel Yaffa Ariel, as she slept in her bed, in her home in Kiryat Arba near Hebron, on June 30, 2016. Taraireh also injured one of the Israeli security personnel before he was shot and killed.
Muhammad Al-Faqih – 29-year-old Hamas terrorist who had previously been imprisoned for planning terror attacks when affiliated with the Islamic Jihad, and Muhammad Amira, terrorist and a member of the PA police force, murdered Rabbi Michael Mark, a 48-year-old father of ten, in a shooting attack on July 1, 2016 on Route 60 in the southern Har Hebron region. Al-Faqih opened fire on the Mark family's car causing the vehicle to overturn and crash. Amira was driving the car from which Al-Faqih shot at them. Rabbi Mark’s wife Chava, 40, was also seriously wounded in the attack, and two of their children were injured – their daughter Tehila, 15, and their son Pedayah, 16. Al-Faqih and Amira fled the scene, but were located by the Israeli army on July 27, 2016. Al-Faqih resisted arrest and shot at the soldiers from his home where he had barricaded himself. Al-Faqih was killed when the Israeli soldiers shot an anti-tank missile and other artillery at his house. Amira was arrested.
Abd Al-Hamid Abu Sorour – 19-year-old Hamas terrorist who on April 18, 2016, carried out a suicide bombing attack on bus no. 12 in the Talpiot neighborhood in southeast Jerusalem. 21 people were injured in the attack. Abu Sorour died of his injuries a few days later in an Israeli hospital.
Musbah Abu Sbeih – 39-year-old Palestinian terrorist who murdered 2 Israelis and wounded 5 others in 3 drive-by shooting attacks in Jerusalem on Oct. 9, 2016. Abu Sbeih, who held Israeli residency status, began his shooting spree at the Ammunition Hill light rail stop and continued to the Shimon Hatzadik neighborhood. He was killed in an exchange of fire with Israeli border police officers during the attack. On the morning of the attack, Abu Sbeih was due to turn himself in to begin a 4 month jail sentence, after being convicted in January 2015 on numerous counts of inciting to terror and supporting a terror organization. On his Facebook page, Abu Sbeih praised terror groups including Hamas as well as terrorists who carried out attacks and actively called for attacks against Israelis. In July 2016, Abu Sbeih was given a distancing order from the Temple Mount that was to be in effect until the end of October 2016.
Muhammad Turkeman –Palestinian Authority police officer who carried out a shooting attack on Oct. 31, 2016, at a checkpoint near Beit El, at the entrance to Ramallah. Using a Kalashnikov assault rifle, Turkeman shot and wounded 3 Israeli soldiers before being shot and killed by other Israeli soldiers.