Israel released a prominent leader from Islamist movement Hamas on Sunday after he spent more than two years in prison, Palestinian Authority (PA) officials said.
Hassan Yousef, who is also a member of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Legislative Council, told reporters after his release he would work with Hamas rivals "Fatah and other Palestinian factions to achieve reconciliation."
Dozens of Hamas supporters received Yousef at Beituniya, near Ofer prison.
Yousef had been arrested in November 2011 for belonging to an illegal organization. Yousef, one of the founders of the Islamist movement, made headlines after his son Mossab admitted spying for Israel between 1997 and 2007.
Mossab relocated to the US, changed his name to Joseph and converted to Christianity. He wrote about his experiences in a book, Son of Hamas, and addressed the Knesset last June. “Hamas murders not only Israelis,” he told MKs, “but also Palestinians whose political stance is different from that which its group promotes – that is, its radical religious outlook in which Islam is the solution to the world's problems.”
Hassan Yousef disowned his son in a letter sent during a previous term in an Israeli prison.
Click here to watch Mossab's visit to the Israeli Knesset: