PA Prime Minister calls terrorist prisoners the “heart of the Palestinian national movement” - They "are our children and we will protect them"
Video posted on the Facebook page of PA Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh
Video:
The video shows an interview with PA Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh on Al-Arabiya TV.
PA Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh: “The prisoners’ topic in Palestine is a sensitive issue. The number of prisoners who have entered the occupation’s prisons (i.e., Israeli prisons) since 1967 until today reaches approximately 1 million people. Therefore, every home has a sensitive issue regarding the prisoners’ topic – that is on the one hand. On the other hand, every prisoner in the world – what does he want? He wants freedom, and he seeks his freedom in various ways. Therefore, these brothers who succeeded in reaching freedom (refers to six terrorist prisoners who escaped from Gilboa Prison; see note below -Ed.) – in any case, they created a very sensitive issue with the situation of the prisoners and the situation of the- Another matter: The prisoners include all layers of the Palestinian people. … there are tragic cases, but there is also courage and determination. In other words, one like Karim Younes (i.e., terrorist, murdered 1 together with an accomplice) [has served] 34-35 years, 35 years that he has not seen the world. …
The prisoners’ topic is a sensitive issue. From our perspective, the prisoners are the heart of the Palestinian national movement throughout history and our concern for the prisoners- and we are paying a price. You know, the US is punishing us, and Israel is punishing us because we are taking care of the prisoners’ affairs (refers to PA terror salaries -Ed.). And as [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas says: ‘Even if we are left with one penny, we will take care of the prisoners [with it].’ These people are our children and we will protect them like we protect every central element of the Palestinian public…
Why is the [US] Consulate [in Jerusalem] and its opening important to us? Because it is the American address for taking care of the Palestinian cause, far from the embassy that the US transferred from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on the pretext that Jerusalem is one city (see note below -Ed.). The message from this [new US] administration is that Jerusalem is not one city and that the American administration does not recognize the annexation of Arab Jerusalem by the Israeli side. We want the American Consulate to constitute a seed of a US embassy in the State of Palestine.”