The release of Jerusalemite prisoners from the military camp established on the lands of Esawyeh
The Jerusalemites were ready to welcome their sons who were released last Tuesday during the third part of the deal. Dozens of Jerusalemites headed towards Al-Zaytoona checkpoint east of Jerusalem to welcome the freed prisoners. The prisoners are: Mahmoud Nofal Da’ajneh who was arrested for 21 years, Bilal Abu Hussein who was arrested for 25 years, Ahmad Khalaf who was arrested for 21 years, Jamal Abu Jamal who was arrested for 20 years and Yassin Abu Khdeir who was arrested for 27 years. The Israeli intelligence informed the families of the prisoners to only have two family members at Al-Zaytoona checkpoint at 10 p.m. The Jerusalemites raised the pictures of the prisoners in general and posters of released prisoner in particular in addition to raising Palestinian flags. In a related matter, dozens of extremist settlers protested against the release of the Jerusalemite prisoners. The march initiated from in front of the house of Netanyahu in West Jerusalem through Jaffa Gate and the Armenian Quarter onto Al-Silsileh Gate where the freed prisoner Ahmad Khaled lives. The extremists chanted slogans against Palestinians and described them as “terrorists”. The protesters held black umbrellas as a sign of mourning and signs that had the words “revenge and death for terrorists” written on them; they stood 100 meters away from the house and the police prevented them from breaking into the house. At 1:30 a.m. the Israeli intelligence asked the families of the prisoners to head to the military camp built on the lands of Esawyeh to receive their children. At 1:45 a.m. the Israeli forces blocked all the roads leading to the military camp in order to prevent the locals from celebrating the freedom of the prisoners and the media from covering the event. The releasing process started around 2:10 a.m. and at 2:15 the Israeli forces started firing sound bombs and rubber bullets towards the citizens and their cars in order to disperse them and prevent them from celebrating the liberation of their sons from the Israeli prisons.
