One central Hamas operative designated for release is Imad Qawasmeh (52), who has been serving 16 life sentences since 2004 for involvement in a suicide bombing that killed 16 Israelis. According to the Prisoners Organization Media Office, he is one of the "leaders" of the terrorists in prison.

The West Bank resident was involved in offenses including training terrorists, attempted murder, and conspiracy to cause death with intent. Qawasmeh is on the deportation list. During a 2004 operation, after the attack in which he was involved, he was captured by Israeli forces after his house was bombed and he escaped through a tunnel. He has a long history of attacks. He was first sentenced to five years in prison in 1994 when he assisted Hamas' "military wing" logistically. In 1999 he was released after completing his sentence, and eventually returned to terrorist activity in the Second Intifada.

Another Hamas operative designated for release is Qassem Aref Khalil al-Asafreh (36). In 2019 he was arrested after being involved in a stabbing attack in Gush Etzion, in which soldier Dvir Sorek was murdered.

Al-Asafreh was part of a terrorist cell with his cousin and another operative. The cell failed in two attempts before the attack. After the murder they planned another attack. Al-Asafreh is designated for deportation.

Muhammad Aref Samhan (55) is a terrorist who dispatched several suicide bombers, and is responsible for the attack on Bus Line 2, in which 23 people were murdered and 130 others were wounded. He is designated for deportation and belonged to the "Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades," from Fatah, during the Second Intifada.

Ibrahim Muhammad al-Raai (46) is a terrorist belonging to a Tanzim cell of Fatah. He is responsible for a bombing attack in the Casbah in Nablus, in which Osher Damari fell in 2006. Al-Raai was only arrested in 2022. He was recruited remotely by a terrorist from Gaza and worked to recruit additional terrorists. He was also involved in shooting attacks in the area of Joseph's Tomb. From the Shin Bet investigation it emerged that he participated in dozens of shooting attacks against Israeli forces and planting explosives.

One of those designated for release to the West Bank, who is not designated for deportation, is Rashid Mahmoud Omar (48). He was convicted of causing death with intent, membership in a Fatah terrorist cell, shooting at people, attempted murder, and involvement in hostile actions. He was arrested several months after the end of the Second Intifada (summer 2005) in the village of Faraoon in Samaria. He was convicted of the murder of a Palestinian whom he accused of "collaboration with Israel."

Another Fatah operative is Raad Abd al-Aziz (45), who was convicted of offenses including causing death with intent, possession of firearms, attempted murder, and conspiracy to cause death with intent. He is a resident of the Ramallah area who has been in prison for approximately 20 years for terrorist activity in the Second Intifada. Al-Aziz is designated for deportation abroad.

From PIJ, Omar Mahmoud Bassis (60) is designated for release. He is a terrorist convicted of planting explosives, membership in a terrorist organization, shooting at people, and attempted murder. He was also captured during the Second Intifada, in 2004. Also from PIJ, Arafat Hamid Zir (43) is expected to be released to the West Bank area. He was convicted of membership in a terrorist organization, aiding murder, and incitement to murder, and entered prison in 2003.

Faisal Mahmoud Abdullah Khalifa (43) is also set to be released to the Samaria area and not be deported. He is a Hamas operative who has been in security detention since December 2024. He is accused of offenses including membership in a terrorist organization, providing shelter to wanted persons, storing weapons, and conspiracy to cause death with intent.

On the deportation list is Firas Sadiq Muhammad Ghanem (51). He is a security detainee from Jerusalem, who was captured during the Second Intifada. He is accused of offenses including state security, causing death with intent, possession of firearms, attempted murder, conspiracy to cause death with intent, and more. According to the Prisoners Organization, he is accused of participating in attacks when he belonged to the "Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades," the Fatah branch in those years. It was also noted that these attacks led to nine murdered Israelis.

Another person designated for release in the deal is Ibrahim al-Hani (54), a Popular Front operative sentenced to multiple life sentences for involvement in attacks in the Second Intifada. He has been in prison since 2006 and survived an assassination attempt in the past.

Another Popular Front operative is Ibrahim al-Qam (53), who is supposed to be released. He is serving two life sentences for involvement in terrorist activity. He is one of those designated for deportation.

Another Fatah operative designated for deportation is Atiyah Abu Samhadana (56), from the Gaza Strip. He was captured in 1996 for offenses including murder and use of dangerous drugs. He is one of the veteran prisoners, a Rafah resident arrested for terrorist operations. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison, which is supposed to end this month.

From PIJ, Iyad Muhammad Abu al-Rub (51) is designated for release, a senior figure in the organization and "head of the military wing" in Jenin. He is responsible for planning a series of suicide bombings. He was involved in attacks at a club in Tel Aviv and a mall in Netanya. He is designated for deportation.

From Hamas, Alaa al-Din al-Karki (52) is designated for deportation. He is accused of causing death with intent, possession of weapons, throwing Molotov cocktails, attempted murder, and more. Al-Karki has been in prison since 1993.

Ghufran al-Zamel, fiancée of senior Hamas figure in prison Hassan Salameh, whom Israel refuses to release, appealed to Hamas leaders Khalil al-Hayya, Zaher Jabarin, Khaled Mashal, and Muhammad Darwish. "We, the families of veteran prisoners and those sentenced to life imprisonment, demand that you not give up on them. Abandoning them would be breaking a covenant that has lasted more than three decades. Do not abandon Sinwar's will and Muhammad Deif's commitment," she declared.

In the message she also mentioned the names of arch-terrorists Abdullah Barghouti, Ibrahim Hamed, and Abbas al-Sayed, whom she calls to release along with Salameh.

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In a series of candid interviews conducted in Ramallah, Jewish American comedian Zach Sage Fox encountered unwavering support for Hamas and widespread antisemitic views among Palestinians, according to reporting by The Jerusalem Post. Fox's interviews, part of his "Wild West Bank" video project, revealed a stark reality that challenges perceptions of Palestinian attitudes towards peace and coexistence.

Fox, who spoke with The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday night, described his findings as "shocking." He told the newspaper, "I didn't meet one person who didn't love Hamas. All of them hated Jews with every bone of their body."

The comedian, accompanied by a translator, producer, and cameraman, did not disclose his Jewish identity during the interviews. Ramallah is considered section A of the West Bank, where Israeli citizens are banned from entering.

Fox's experience in Ramallah was not without incident. He recounted a threatening situation where he and his team were forced to delete footage under duress. "I've been making videos for 15 years, and I've never had to delete videos because someone's threatened to kill me," Fox told The Jerusalem Post.

Free Palestine? I went to see 'Palestine'… and almost didn't make it out alive.

After asking questions on the streets of Ramallah for less than an hour, a group of Palestinian men threatened to kill us if we didn't delete our footage. This is what we were able to recover…… pic.twitter.com/D2rzmE6HBb

— Zach Sage Fox (@zachsagefox) July 23, 2024

 When asked if they were supportive of Hamas, most respondents answered affirmatively, with one woman stating, "Of course." Another interviewee declared, "Palestinian people like Hamas," while a woman asserted, "I'm with the resistance."

Fox's inquiries about the events of October 7 revealed troubling attitudes. When asked if they had seen the videos posted by Hamas from that day, one woman confidently replied, "Everything." Fox followed up by asking if they were okay with Hamas's actions, to which she confirmed, "With everything they did."

The interviews also touched on the issue of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. Fox reported to The Jerusalem Post that there was a resounding 'no' from all Palestinians when asked if Hamas should release the remaining hostages.

In discussions about historical events, Fox encountered what he described as revisionism. One younger man claimed, "Nothing is named Israel." When Fox pointed out that the Quran mentions Israel over 100 times and asked if Palestine was mentioned, the man admitted it wasn't.

Fox emphasized that his goal was not to show that peace is impossible, but to reveal the reality on the ground. "These people have so much hate in their hearts for my people. I have nothing but love in my heart for them," he said, adding that this realization made it "the most important video I've ever done."

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Israel's security forces arrested 11 students from An-Najah National University in Nablus accused of supporting Hamas through campus activity, the IDF said Tuesday.

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The 11 suspects were members of the university's Islamic Bloc, a Hamas-affiliated organization, The Times of Israel reported, citing IDF Spokesman in Arabic Lt. Col. Avihay Adraee.

According to Adraee, the students were suspected of transferring funds to Hamas, organizing pro-Hamas rallies and spreading propaganda for the terror group.

They did this "under the supervision and guidance of senior Hamas officials," according to The Times of Israel.

Birzeit University in Ramallah said in a statement that Israeli forces raided the campus Tuesday morning. Hours later, the students held a ceremony at the site to mark the anniversary of the Hamas movement's founding, Haaretz reported.

In July, the IDF arrested dozens of students at Birzeit University suspected of belonging to a Hamas student cell.

i24NEWS contributed to this report

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Palestinian security forces rescued two Israelis who mistakenly entered Ramallah on Wednesday evening from an attempted lynch.

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Palestinian rioters surrounded the Israelis, Breslov Hassidim from the Shilo and Elad settlements, near Manara Square in the center of the city and set their car on fire. The driver and the passenger sustained minor injuries.

The Israelis were escorted out of the city and handed over to IDF forces at the Beit El checkpoint after the Palestinians were warned that if the two were not returned to Israel, IDF forces would enter Ramallah.

Video: Social media

Upon being questioned, the two claimed that they had wound up in Ramallah while trying to take a shortcut to Hashmonaim, near Modi'in. they said that when they reached Manara Square, the Palestinian crowd realized they were Israeli citizens and began to amass around their car, blocking them from driving away. The two said that the Ramallah residents began to throw rocks at them, as well as kicking their vehicle and beating it with rods. The mob also smashed the car's windows.

These reports were corroborated by Palestinian media reports.

Members of the Palestinian security forces arrived in a patrol car and helped the two men out of their car and into their own vehicle, then coordinated with the IDF Civil Administration to hand them over to Israeli forces at the Focus checkpoint outside the city.

The Israel Police reported that after the two were returned to Israel, they were asked why they entered Area A – which is under the control of the Palestinian Authority – in the first place. They claimed that they had planned to drive to the grave of Mattathias, located near Hashmonaim, but gotten lost and ended up in Ramallah.

The Israelis were released from custody.

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Israel has transferred hundreds of millions of shekels to Ramallah that the Palestinian Authority uses to pay terrorist stipends in violation of Israeli law and in contrast to statements from Defense Minister Benny Gantz. This is according to Israeli nongovernmental organization Palestinian Media Watch's analysis of an official PA report submitted to Western states.

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Israel, which collects taxes on behalf of the PA as part of a mechanism outlined in the 1993 Oslo Accords and transfers the funds to Ramallah monthly, began deducting the sums the PA uses to pay terrorists in July 2018, after the Knesset passed a law to that effect, in an effort to discourage the Palestinian practice. Jerusalem has frozen 1.3 billion shekels ($417.26 million) in tax funds since the law went into effect.

In September, Israel transferred 500 million shekels (around $160 million) to Ramallah, in addition to the tax funds it collects for the PA every month. The move followed a meeting between Gantz and PA President Mahmoud Abbas in late August.

Soon after the meeting, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, the Israeli governing body that operates in the West Bank, clarified the 500 million shekels had in fact been a loan. It said the funds were in fact an advance on future tax payments, and as a result, the 500 million shekels would not be coming out of taxpayer funds.

According to an English-language budget performance report for the month of September, compiled as part of Ramallah's commitment to transparency to donors and the international community, Israel transferred a total of 1.7 billion shekels (around $545 million) to the PA in September alone.

In the report's appendices, the PA made note of the 500 million shekels it received from Israel but said 100 million of those 500 million had been an advance on future payments, while the PA had been owed the 400 million in payments from "previous months."

According to Ramallah, then, Israel had not in fact provided an advance on future tax funds as claimed but rather transferred money it owed the PA. In other words, Ramallah made clear in the official report it had no intention of repaying 80% of the funds it received from Jerusalem.

The analysis is even more troubling when taking into account that, following Gantz's meeting with PA President Mahmoud Abbas in August, the PA claimed the defense minister had agreed to return "some of our funds held by Israel."

If the PA's budget report is correct, the Israeli government has in effect transferred one-third of tax funds it was legally required to withhold despite Abbas' continued payments to terrorists.

In a statement, Gantz said: "As previously stated, the loan was provided from future repayment funds the Palestinian Authority was supposed to have received from the Israeli tax collection."

Itamar Marcus, the founder and director of Palestinian Media Watch, said, "The dispute between Israel and the Palestinian Authority as to the nature of the 400 million shekels is unreasonable.

"Could it be that Israel transferred nearly half a billion shekels to the PA without a written agreement indicating it was a loan?" Marcus asked.

"Israel must demand the PA correct the budgetary report to reflect that this is a loan," he said.

The Palestinian Authority routinely spends hundreds of millions of dollars on payments to terrorists imprisoned in Israel and to the families of terrorists killed while carrying out attacks against Israel. The PA's "pay-for-slay" policy is a widely condemned practice that takes a growing cut of Ramallah's budget – funded by donor countries in the West and the Arab world – every year.

"Pay-for-slay" has earned the PA scathing international criticism, but Abbas has vowed to keep up terrorists' payments, even it if bankrupts the PA.

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Israel continued its public opposition on Saturday to a plan by the Biden administration to reopen a US consulate for Palestinians in Jerusalem, a move it sees would undermine its sovereignty in the capital. 

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"My position, and it was presented to the Americans ... is that there is no place for a US consulate which serves the Palestinians in Jerusalem. We are voicing our opinion consistently, quietly, without drama," Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told reporters. 

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, speaking next to Bennett, proposed that if the US insists on reopening its mission, it should do so in the West Bank.

"If they [the US] want to open a consulate in Ramallah, we have no problem with that," he said.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, rejected Lapid's comments.

"We will only accept a US consulate in Jerusalem, the capital of the Palestinian state. That was what the US administration had announced and had committed itself to do," he told Reuters.

The US embassy was not immediately available for comment. 

The consulate was closed in 2018 by then-US President Donald Trump. However, seeking to repair ties with the Palestinians, the Biden administration has said it would reopen the consulate, although it has not given a date.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last month Washington would "be moving forward with the process of opening a consulate as part of deepening of those ties with the Palestinians", however Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Brian McKeon has pointed out that according to US and international law, Washington cannot go ahead with the move unless the Israeli government gives its consent first. 

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Just four days after ministers from the Meretz party visited Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Labor Secretary-General Eran Hermony led several members of his party on a delegation to Ramallah Thursday.

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The delegation, which included central party figures from across the country, met with senior PA and Fatah party officials at the invitation of the Palestine Liberation Organization's Committee for Interaction With Israeli Society. The committee is headed by Mohammed al-Madani, who is also a member of the Fatah Central Committee.

Palestinian delegation members, among them Palestinian Social Affairs Minister Dr. Ahmed Majdalani and Abbas advisor Dr. Mahmoud al-Habbash, congratulated all Labor party members. They noted Labor had in the past worked with the Palestinian leadership toward a resolution to the conflict and that they continued to see the party and others as a partner for peace.

Hermoni said, "The objective of the delegation was to hold a dialogue between various office-holders on both sides, as well as to send a clear message in favor of peace and the two-state solution. The Labor party has a responsibility to fearlessly fly the diplomatic flag and emphatically make clear that it will not allow any action in the government that creates a one-state reality, which would be the destruction of the Zionist enterprise and the existence of a Jewish and democratic Israel. No one can ignore reality, and no speech will change that. We must remember that peace is an important value, and it must not become a four-letter word."

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China will soon lead the world, and it supports the "Palestinian position, whatever it may be," according to Fatah's Central Committee member Abbas Zaki.

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In a public address that aired on Palestine TV on Sept. 29, Abbas Zaki called on the United States to "reconsider its stance" with regard to Israel or risk becoming irrelevant. The Israelis, he said, are "sons of bitches," "murderers," and agents of instability, while the Palestinians are "messengers of peace."

"I know that there is serious change in Europe and even in the United States," said Zaki.

But, he said, "Do not forget the emerging camp, which is on your side – the Chinese camp. China is going to lead the world, and it proclaims: 'There can be no stability and progress without the liberation of Palestine, with east Jerusalem as its capital.'"

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The Chinese, he continued, have said that they will accept whatever the Palestinians accept.

"In other words, if tomorrow we decide to be stubborn and demand [Palestine from] the [Jordan] River to the [Mediterranean] Sea – it would be fine with them. But they know us, and they know that we are not suicidal and that we want to make Israel swallow the poison one drop at a time," he said.

"[The Israelis] claimed that their army is a defensive force – oh, the wretchedness! – and that [Israel] is an oasis of democracy, but it turned out that they are sons of bitches, that they [practice] apartheid, and that they are murderers, while we are the oppressed ones. The world will once again discover that we are the messengers of peace, whereas [the Israelis] are the messengers of instability. America should reconsider its stance or it will become irrelevant," he said.

Featured on JNS.org, this article was first published by MEMRI.org.

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Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas hosted a member of Israel's cabinet for a late-night meeting in Ramallah Sunday.

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Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz became the second top official to meet with Abbas since the new Israeli government took office in June, in a move his Meretz party said was coordinated with and authorized by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. He was joined by other Meretz party members, including Regional Cooperation Minister Esawi Frej. Defense Minister Benny Gantz also met with Abbas at his West Bank headquarters in August.

According to the Palestinian Authority's Wafa news agency, Abbas "stressed the importance of ending the Israeli occupation and achieving a just and comprehensive peace" in their meeting.

The PA president reportedly asked the Meretz officials in attendance for a meeting with Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked, who tweeted in response to the report: "I will not meet with a Holocaust denier who is prosecuting IDF soldiers at [the International Criminal Court at] The Hague and pays Jew killers."

Right-wing members of the coalition criticized the visit. Housing and Construction Minister Ze'ev Elkin of the New Hope party called the meeting "a waste of time and an unnecessary event that causes damage." He said, "Abu Mazen [Abbas] is at the end of his road and unable to conduct a diplomatic process."

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Abir Kara of Bennett's Yamina party wrote: "The green pass [for restricting entrance to certain venues to Israelis who are vaccinated against or have recovered from the coronavirus] has crashed, millions of Israelis are unable to issue [a pass due to technical difficulties], and hundreds of thousands of business are up in the air – but the health minister feels no urgency to deal with it. It's more pressing to go have dinner with the head of the terror authority in Ramallah."

Likud Party Chairman Yariv Levin blasted the meeting. "Israel's left-wing government minister continues to crawl on its hands and knees to Abu Mazen, and all with Prime Minister Bennett's blessing. Meeting with terrorism funder Abu Mazen is more important to the health minister than the health of Israel's citizens," he said.

Horowitz, for his part, posted a picture of himself and Abbas on Twitter. "We have a shared mission: to preserve the hope for peace, on the basis of a two-state solution," he tweeted.

"Meretz has a mission within the government: to keep the two-station alive, not to let it disappear, and not to sabotage the chance of getting there in the future because there is no other solution," he asserted.

Horowitz continued: "We believe there is no room for unilateral steps that harm the chance of implementing the two-state solution: not for new settlements, not for illegal outposts, and not for violence by radical settler elements," he said.

Meretz MK Michal Rozin said: "It's important we express the fact that we still believe in the two-state solution. I expect to hear from Abu Mazen his commitment to the war on terror and security cooperation with Israel – to promote a struggle that is nonviolent."

Frej said: "We are here to advance the two-state solution, to say 'you are our partner.' The future is important, but we must first act to make a better present, and for that, you need cooperation between the ministries and governments."

In a statement following the meeting, Abbas' office said: "We must begin to create confidence-building steps, to prove we intend to make peace, and to allow to maintain the hope of the Palestinian people. I invite all new government ministers in Israel to come here. We don't have to agree, [but] we do need to talk."

According to the Wafa report, mere hours ahead of the meeting, Abbas called the parents of the terrorist killed while trying to carry out an attack in Jerusalem as well as the parents of the Islamic Jihad operative who was killed during an IDF operation in Jenin last Thursday, to offer his and the Palestinian people's condolences. "May they rest in Heaven. They are the heroes of the Palestinian people," he said.

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Officials in Ramallah were not surprised that Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's made no mention of the Palestinians in his UN General Assembly address.

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Nevertheless, a senior official from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' office told Israel Hayom Ramallah had no expectations Bennett would promote a diplomatic process with the Palestinians. Instead, he said they were waiting for the day when Foreign Minister Yair Lapid would enter the Prime Minister Office as part of the coalition's government rotation agreement.

"Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is ignoring the Palestinians. It doesn't matter. We're ignoring him too. We didn't expect the person who headed the Yesha Council [the umbrella organization of Jewish localities in Judea and Samaria] to change his ideology," the senior Palestinian official told Israel Hayom. He added: "All of the talks, the contacts, and the meetings held thus far and that will be held later down the line are aimed at one thing, and that is laying the ground for the possibility Bennett will conclude his role in another year and a half, and the prime minister will be Lapid.

"It's clear to us that Bennett has neither the ideological desire nor sufficient public support to start the peace process back up and return to the negotiating table, although in the current Israeli government, unlike the governments over the past decade, there are those who are willing to sit and talk and try to promote processes, and accordingly, we as well the Israeli representatives we are in contact with are working to restore trust in both sides.

Another member of Ramallah's negotiation team, which was dismantled following the death of chief negotiator Saeb Erakat in Oct. 2020, also told Israel Hayom the objective was for both sides to return to the negotiating table shortly once Lapid takes on the role of premier.

"The political reality in Israel is different now, and officials in the government and in the coalition are interested in promoting diplomatic moves," he said. "If we act now and lay the ground for a diplomatic process, we can renew negotiations following the rotation agreement. Even Abu Mazen [Abbas] himself alluded to this in his speech at the UN."

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