The IDF has rearrested 15 Palestinians who were released from Israeli prisons
under the Gilad Schalit prisoner swap conducted last year.
Eight of the
Palestinians were from the first batch of prisoners released, many of whom were
serving life sentences for a variety of deadly terrorist attacks.
The
remaining seven were from the second batch of prisoners who were serving lighter
sentences. Three of the prisoners have been released since they were
rearrested.
The first stage of the exchange took place in October, when
477 Palestinians were freed, and the second stage in December, when 550 were
released.
A senior IDF officer from the Central Command said on Wednesday
that it was still too early to measure the impact the released prisoners were
having on the West Bank.
“People need to acclimate back to their homes
and work to retrieve their former status in their respective organizations from
the younger generation that took over while they were away,” the officer
said.
One of those rearrested was Ayman Salama, 36, who had been serving
a 38-year sentence for his involvement in a 2002 bomb attack in Beersheba that
wounded 18 people, as well as for a series of shooting attacks during the second
intifada. He was supposed to be released in 2040.
Another prisoner
rearrested was Khalid Makhamira, who had been serving a life sentence since 2006
for his involvement in a series of shooting attacks in the West Bank during the
second intifada. He was a Fatah member when he went into jail, and switched
allegiance to Hamas during his five years in prison.