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BA degree earned by terrorist prisoner
involved in murder of Israel's Minister of
Tourism
By Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques
Zilberdik 5-4-2017
For the full article go to Palestinian
Medium Watch- http://tinyurl.com/krm455s
- 484 terrorist
prisoners are studying for BA degrees in Al-Quds Open University program,
in cooperation with the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Education
- Terrorist
prisoners with academic degrees supervise, test other terrorists, and
grade them; lawyers bring in study materials, and bring out grades to be
recorded at the university
- Tuition paid by
PLO Commission of Prisoners' Affairs, which is funded by the Palestinian
National Fund, recently declared a terror organization by Israel
- Israeli law
prohibits university programs for terrorists in prison, as they constitute
a reward for terror
Nan Jacques Zilberdik and Maurice Hirsch
Terrorist prisoner Majdi Al-Rimawi, a
Palestinian terrorist serving a life sentence for participating in the planning
and carrying out of the murder of Israeli Minister of Tourism Rehavam Ze'evi in
2001, has just received a BA degree in prison:
"Al-Quds Open University and the
[PLO] Commission of Prisoners and Released Prisoners' Affairs yesterday [March
13, 2017] celebrated the graduation of prisoners Majdi Hussein Yusuf
Al-Rimawi..."
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida,
March 14, 2017]
As a response to the Israeli Supreme
Court's ruling to uphold the Israeli government decision to prohibit terrorist
prisoners from studying for academic degrees, the Palestinian Al-Quds Open
University started offering studies to prisoners in March 2016. [Al-Quds,
March 1, 2016]
The program is based on a
"memorandum of understanding with the [PLO] Commission of Prisoners'
Affairs and the [PA] Ministry of Education and Higher Education." [The
Al-Quds Open University Message, December 2016]
Prisoners in general and security
prisoners in particular, are only allowed to conduct specific activities
permitted to them by Israeli law and the rules of the Israeli Prison Service.
In accordance with these, since 2011, security prisoners are no longer
permitted to participate in degree courses.
Furthermore, it is important to stress
that the Al-Quds Open University program for prisoners is funded by the PLO
Commission of Prisoners' Affairs, which is funded by the Palestinian National
Fund. The Palestinian National Fund was declared a terror organization by
Israel on March 16, 2017.
According to Israeli Supreme Court
President Miriam Naor's ruling in 2015, this is a further reason not to allow
the studies:
"I see no place to intervene in
the decision of the [Israeli] Prison Service, according to which it is not
obliged to allow prisoners to acquire academic education, despite its
importance, if it becomes clear that the funding for this arrives from terror
organizations... Transfers of money from terror organizations to prisoners -
whether as compensation for the crimes that they committed, or as an incentive
to continue ideological activity against the State [of Israel] - are liable to
endanger the security of the state."
[Further hearing of the Israeli High
Court of Justice 204/13, ruling 22, page 19]
An article in the Al-Quds Open University
newspaper describes how the program bypasses the Israeli Prison Service (IPS):
- The PLO
Commission of Prisoners' Affairs pays tuition
- Lawyers bring
in study materials
- The university
appoints terrorist prisoners with a master's or a doctoral degree to
oversee the terrorist students, give tests, and grade them
- Lawyers bring
out grades to be recorded at the university
Director-General of the study program in
the PLO Commission of Prisoners' Affairs Muhammad Al-Batta explained the
success of the program:
"It is not dependent on the whims of
the Israeli Prison Service and its steps, but rather is being carried out in
direct contact with the academic supervisory committees within the prisons
through a lawyer on behalf of the Prisoners' Club (i.e., PA funded
organization)."
"He explained that the study course
materials are being brought in and the grades are being brought out [to be
recorded at the university] with the aid of the lawyers. He added: 'This
program is being carried out far from the Israeli Prison Service, for it has no
connection with it as the books are being brought in by the lawyers, and this
is also how the grades are being transferred.' Al-Batta noted that the [PLO]
Commission of Prisoners' Affairs is the one funding this program through the
payment of tuition."
[The Al-Quds Open University Message,
December 2016]
The Al-Quds Open University study program
is introduced at prisons where lawyers are able to bring in study materials,
and where prisoners with academic degrees can form an "academic
supervisory committee" to oversee the studies:
"Among these important conditions
[for setting up the program] are the ability to bring the study course
materials into the prison and the presence of at least five prisoners with a
master's or doctoral degree who will serve as the program's supervisory
committee within the prison. This committee is the one that is responsible
before the university, the [PLO] Commission of Prisoners' Affairs, and the [PA]
Ministry of Education and Higher Education for all of the processes, the
activities, and the supervision of the study process with all of its
components, including examinations, transferring the grades to the university,
and signing the grade lists."
[The Al-Quds Open University Message,
December 2016]
President of Al-Quds Open University,
Professor Younes Amr, stated that three prisons are involved so far, with a
total of 484 prisoner students studying in three main departments: Arabic
Language, Islamic Education, and Social Work. The university is hoping to add a
fourth prison and reach a total of 600 students.
At a ceremony celebrating terrorist
Al-Rimawi's degree, Director of Commission of Prisoners' Affairs Issa Karake
said the Israeli prisons have become "universities" that
"empower our prisoner sons":
"We have shattered the life sentence
and the prison time, as this is not just an academic certificate but a
certificate of hope and a future. This is a part of our philosophy and our
efforts to empower our prisoner sons... Through the studies, the prisons have
turned into universities in which there are creativity, science, studies, and
lectures."
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida,
March 14, 2017]
Interestingly, while the program was only
initiated in March 2016, only a year later, terrorist Al-Rimawi already
obtained a BA degree from Al-Quds Open University.
Palestinian Media Watch has reported on other terrorist
prisoners who have obtained academic
degrees while imprisoned.
PMW has notified the IPS that hundreds of
Palestinian terrorist prisoners continue to study for academic degrees in spite
of the ban.
Click to read PMW's report on the Palestinian Authority's salary rewards to
terrorists .
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