A day after a Hamas official called on terrorists to kidnap IDF soldiers in order to force Israel to release their fellow terrorists from Israeli prisons, another Hamas official called on PA Arabs on Tuesday to start an intifada (violent uprising).
The official, Izzat al-Rishq, said in a statement he released, “Our Palestinian people will not abandon the intifada and the resistance, and they live their lives in constant conflict with the Israeli enemy.”
He added that the Israeli “aggression” which, he claimed, consists of the ongoing violation of human rights of the “Palestinian people”, the “Judaization” of Jerusalem and “defilement” of the Al-Aqsa mosque brings PA Arabs to a state of daily confrontation with the Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria who, he claimed, are protected by the IDF.
Al-Rishq said the IDF’s preparedness against the escalation of the ongoing riots by PA Arabs will only increase their determination to avenge the death of Arafat Jaradat, the prisoner who died while in Israeli custody.
An autopsy conducted Sunday on the body of Jaradat, who died at the Meggido Prison a day earlier, found that it is impossible to determine the exact cause of his death.
The PA’s minister of prisoners, Issa Qaraqaa, nevertheless took advantage of the non-conclusive report to blame Israel for torturing Jaradat to death, citing the preliminary findings of the joint autopsy which reported bruises on Jaradat’s body, muscle damage and broken ribs. Those, however, can be caused by resuscitation attempts, according to the autopsy.
Thousands took part on Monday in Jaradat’s funeral. The funeral was held at his village, Sa’ir, near Hevron.
At nearby Beit Anun, hundreds of Arabs gathered and hurled rocks at security forces who were on high alert during the funeral. The security forces countered the rioting with riot dispersal gear.
Despite the ongoing riots, which have intensified as Arabs use Jaradat’s death as an excuse to riot, Israeli security officials said this week they believe that a third intifada is not in the works.
Senior IDF officials predicted that a third intifada is not a likely scenario because the Palestinian Authority is not interested in such a move at this time.
