A Hamas terrorist who engineered the deaths of 67 Israelis during the Second Intifada, also known as the Oslo War, has said that he has no regrets whatsoever over the Israeli blood he spilled.
The terrorist, Abdullah Barghouti, was sentenced to 67 life sentences for his role in the murders of Israelis in a string of suicide bombings, including the suicide attack at the Sbarro restaurant in Jerusalem in 2001. In an interview from his cell in an Israeli prison, which was broadcast on Hamas television, Barghouti said that he is in good health and that his morale is high.
“I do not regret the effort I made in the way of Allah,” he said during the interview, which was translated by Arab affairs expert Dalit Halevi. “On the contrary, my heart and mind are filled with the grace of Allah, in hope, in optimism and full confidence that the victory of Allah and his salvation are close.”
Last year it was speculated that Barghouti may be included in the Shalit deal, which saw Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit released from Hamas captivity in exchange for more than 1,000 terrorists. Barghouti was ultimately not included in the deal, but Ahlam Tamimi, the female terrorist who drove the suicide bomber to the Sbarro restaurant, was released as part of the deal. She was later rewarded by Hamas by being given a weekly talk show on its television network.
Commenting on the Shalit deal during the interview, Barghouti said that a year after the release of the prisoners who were exchanged for Shalit, Hamas must now act to complete the release of all prisoners, by kidnapping more Israeli soldiers to be used as bargaining chips.
Barghouti said in the interview that he has been working during his imprisonment on a two-part book which will be published in 2014. The book, he said, will describe his activities as a senior commander in Hamas’s military wing and will describe Hamas’s ideological perception.
It was revealed in September that Barghouti is one of many terrorists who regularly receive salaries from the Palestinian Authority. Barghouti reportedly pocketed $1,000 a month for the first 10 years in jail and has received an additional $500 a month starting from his 11th year in jail.
A Channel 2 News report revealed that the PA, which has been screaming for foreign funds to stay solvent, spends six percent of its annual budget to pay $4.5 million a month to jailed terrorists and another $6.5 million to their families.
