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The Truth about the Palestinian Hunger Strike

(New York Times) Gilad Erdan - Democracies around the world are searching for ways to protect their citizens from the threat of terrorism. The thousands of attacks carried out by Palestinian terrorists against Israel have made my country a world expert in combating this threat. Of the 6,177 terrorism-related prisoners held by Israel, about 1,200 have recently begun a hunger strike, led by Marwan Barghouti, who was behind several deadly attacks. Since his arrest in 2002, Barghouti has become adept at rebranding Palestinian terrorism as legitimate "resistance." Palestinians call incarcerated terrorists "political prisoners," whitewashing cold-blooded attacks against civilians in restaurants and buses. The hunger strike has nothing to do with the conditions of the prisoners, which meet international standards. It is another step in Barghouti's campaign to position himself as Abbas' successor. Surrendering to such a strike would constitute a surrender to terrorism and would only embolden terrorist groups, weaken our deterrence and lead to further conflict and bloodshed. The Palestinian Authority must also stop the most insidious form of encouragement to violence: payments to convicted terrorists and their families. When Palestinian leaders cease to glorify terrorists and reward violence, security prisoners will become a thing of the past. The writer is Israel's Minister of Public Security and Strategic Affairs.
2017-05-03 00:00:00
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