Jericho Prison Background

Events Leading to the Israeli Raid on Jericho Prison

17 October 2001:

• Rehavam Ze'evi, Israel’s Minister of Tourism, was assassinated during the Al-Aqsa intifada, the second intifada between the Palestinians and Israelis.

• Ze’evi was shot outside his hotel by four gunmen.

• The PFLP declared responsibility, claiming it was in response to the assassination by Israel of Abu Ali Mustafa, the PFLP’s Secretary General.

15 January 2002: 

• Israel accused Ahmed Sa'adat, the new Secretary General of the PFLP, of planning the assassination.

• Sa’adat was arrested by Palestinian Authority security forces and taken by Force 17, the Palestinian Presidential bodyguard. Following, he was held in President Yasser Arafat's compound in Ramallah.

• Four other PFLP members allegedly involved with the assassination joined Sa’adat in Ramallah.

29 March 2002:

• The IDF seized the compound and demanded for the accused, Ahmed Sa'adat, Basel al-Asmar, 'Ahed Abu Ghalma, Majdi al-Rimawi and Hamdi Qar'an, to be released in order for them to be put on trial in Israel.

April 2002:

• The siege lasted for a month. 

• Basel al-Asmar, 'Ahed Abu Ghalma, Majdi al-Rimawi and Hamdi Qar'an were tried inside Ramallah.

• All four received hard labor sentences along with jail time. Qar’an received 18 years in jail, al-Asmar received 12 years, Rimawi received 8 years and Gholami received one year.

• Sa’adat never stood trial and therefore was never convicted of any crimes.

29 April to 1 May 2002: 

• After the trials, Israel demanded the accused be given to the Israeli authorities.
• However, the U.S. intervened to help coordinate an agreement (Ramallah Agreement) between the Palestinians and Israelis. The siege was lifted and the accused were taken to Jericho where they would remain supervised and protected by monitors from the U.K. and U.S.
• Along with the individuals accused for the assassination of Ze-evi, Fuad Shubaki, who was being held for an alleged connection with the Karine A, a ship transporting weapons to Gaza, was also kept in Jericho for the next four years.

 3 June 2002: 

• The Intelligence Unit failed to raise evidence against Sa’adat. Therefore, because he had not been tried, the High Court ordered his release from the prison because he was being held without conviction.

4 June 2002: 

• The Palestinian Cabinet decided that Ahmad Sa'adat should not be released "due to Israeli threats of assassinating Sa'adat as there was an overt announcement of that by [Israeli Prime Minister] Sharon's spokesman". Source.

October 2002:

• The Jerusalem District Court convicted Mahmud Rimawi and Salah Alawi for their role in Ze’evi’s assassination.

January 2006:

• Hamas' won in the Palestinian Authority's parliamentary elections. Khaled Mashaal, the leader of Hamas, promised to release Sa'adat and the other PFLP members in Jericho.

14 March 2006:

• The U.K. and U.S. monitors pulled out of the Jericho prison for security reasons, claiming that the Palestinian Authority were in breach of the Ramallah Agreement. Link to Jack Straw's Address on UK and US withdrawal from Jericho

• Israeli security forces surrounded the building and told prisoners to voluntarily give themselves up or be killed. Guards were forced to drop their weapons.

• Israeli security forces raided the prison shortly after the monitors were removed.

• Several surrendered but Sa'adat and the other PFLP members refused.
• The five PFLP and Fuad Shubaki surrendered about ten hours after Israel surrounded the prison.

• During the raid, two Palestinian security officers were killed and 23 people were wounded. 
• Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip took a number of hostages, including two French journalists, one Korean and an American, however all were released. A British Council Cultural Center was burned down in Gaza and a HSBC in Ramallah was ransacked.