PRISONER ABDULLAH BARGHOUTHI IN CONFINEMENT AFTER RADIO INTERVIEW

Gaza, 14 Syaban 1436/1 June 2015 (MINA) – Israeli prison services on Sunday stormed the cell of Hamas leader Abdullah al-Barghouthi in Rimon prison after it was revealed that he had given a telephone interview to a Gaza-based radio station from inside the prison.

An Israeli prison spokeswoman told Ma’an that the former al-Qassam Brigades commander had been sent into solitary confinement and would face trial for his actions, Ma’an News Agency  reports as quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA).

Israeli media reported that prison officers searched the prison cell for the phone. Hebrew-language news sites questioned how a Palestinian prisoner had been able to access a mobile phone and give a radio interview.

During the interview with the Hamas-affiliated al-Rai radio station, Barghouthi called on Hamas and its military wing al-Qassam Brigades to take their time as they negotiate a prisoner swap deal with Israel.

“Don’t hasten, because we are firm and perseverant,” he said.

He added, “We won’t change and we shall remain firm regardless of whether we are released today or after a thousand years.”

In response, a spokesman for al-Qassam Brigades Abu Ubayda tweeted: “Freeing you (all prisoners) is a duty we are committed to, and your jailers will eventually vanish.”

Barghouthi is serving 67 life terms, the highest sentence ever handed down by an Israeli military court, after he was convicted of multiple attacks in Israel.

He has been detained since March 2003. (T/P010/R04)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)