Released terrorist Asrar Samrin on PA TV
Released terrorist Asrar Samrin on PA TVScreenshot

Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) has recently translated interviews with released terrorists and their families broadcasted on official Palestinian Authority (PA) TV. The interviews reveal that the terrorists have no regrets, lived a life of ease in jail, and had easy access for familial visits.

The televised testimony contrasts sharply with PA libel claiming prisoners suffer harsh conditions and their families have a hard time seeing them. In 2010, PA government supervisor of prisoners Issa Keraka called for an international investigation of Israeli "violations" against PA prisoners.

The interviews came after the second batch of 26 terrorists was released on October 29, bringing the total number released to date to 52 out of 104 promised in the "gesture" for peace talks. Meanwhile a senior official in Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) said the PA is only staying in talks to release all 104 prisoners.

The released terrorists in the second batch of "gestures" were greeted as heroes, and summarily given a $50,000 grant each and senior positions at the PA with extremely high monthly salaries.

Asrar Samrin, one of the newly released terrorists who was serving a life sentence for the 1991 murder of Israeli Tzvi Klein, appeared on PA TV October 30. He remarked that "the first question all Israeli media ask every released prisoner is: 'Do you regret what you did or not?'"

Samrin said: "through the great PA TV, I say to the Israelis: There is no Palestinian who did something for the homeland and his nation who will regret it. We don't regret what we did and we will not regret what we did."

The segment can be seen here:

PMW also provides a segment from May 4 in which Muhammad Hilal, a terrorist who was released after having served 10 years, described prison life on PA TV. According to Hilal the "worst thing about Israeli prison" was having to sit on a metal chair for a long time while transported on the prison bus.

The "ride of torment," as Hilal called it, involved having to "sit on a metal chair, made entirely of metal, there's nothing but metal inside it."

Hilal described the daily routine for terrorist prisoners.

After exercising in the morning, Hilal said "the guys would get together in the prison yard and we'd chat, talk, eat, drink, joke and play, etc., throughout the day." There would be a "noon roll-call" for several hours of "resting in the rooms...nap time, reading time, study time," following by more time in the yard "walking, laughing, playing, joking, etc., until dark."

The interview can be seen here:

On October 30, relatives of freshly released terrorists were also interviewed on PA. According to them, the security check when visiting their terrorist kin in jail was similar to an average airport check.

Brother of released murderer Osama Abu Hananeh said "the visit was exhausting when we went through the [security] check. They would even pass our shoes through a machine."

Meanwhile the mother of released murderer Ahmad Abd Al-Aziz Qadura, when asked if she had difficulties visiting her terrorist son, said "no, by Allah, nothing. Thank Allah, we would visit them and go home."

Hananeh, Qadura and two others murdered Motti Biton and wounded his wife Molly near Jenin in 1992.

The video segment can be seen here: