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Israel Releases Palestinian MP Khalida Jarrar From Prison

Palestinian lawmaker Khalida Jarrar visits her daughter's grave in the occupied West Bank after her release from an Israeli jail where she spent two years in detention Abbas MOMANI AFP
Palestinian lawmaker Khalida Jarrar visits her daughter's grave in the occupied West Bank after her release from an Israeli jail where she spent two years in detention Abbas MOMANI AFP
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Israel Releases Palestinian MP Khalida Jarrar From Prison

Palestinian lawmaker Khalida Jarrar visits her daughter's grave in the occupied West Bank after her release from an Israeli jail where she spent two years in detention Abbas MOMANI AFP
Palestinian lawmaker Khalida Jarrar visits her daughter's grave in the occupied West Bank after her release from an Israeli jail where she spent two years in detention Abbas MOMANI AFP

Israeli authorities on Sunday released from jail Palestinian lawmaker Khalida Jarrar after two years in detention.

Jarrar, 58, was sentenced to two years in March 2021 for belonging to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which Israel and the United States label a "terrorist" organization.

But the Israeli military did not find evidence Jarrar had taken part in violent acts.

She had been detained without charge since 2019 when she was arrested along with several other Palestinian figures following an attack that killed an Israeli teenager. Israel blamed the attack on the PFLP.

Jarrar was elected to the Palestinian Legislative Council, or parliament, as part of the PFLP.

On Sunday the group congratulated Jarrar on her release, describing her as a "comrade in arms" known for her "patience and tenacity".

After leaving jail Jarrar visited the tomb of her daughter Suha who died in July, an AFP correspondent said.

At the time, Israeli prison authorities refused to allow Jarrar to attend the funeral.

Jarrar has been arrested and jailed many times and often held without charge in what Israelis call administrative detention.

Israeli administrative detention orders allow suspects to be held without charge for renewable six-month periods.

Israel says the procedure is intended to allow authorities to hold suspects while continuing to gather evidence, with the aim of preventing crimes in the meantime.

But the system has been criticized
by Palestinians, human rights groups and members of the international community, who say Israel abuses it.

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Hamas, Fatah Agree to Form Committee to Govern Gaza

A man hides behind a column as smoke and dust spread as a result of an explosion during an Israeli raid targeting a school in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood on the outskirts of Gaza City on September 1, 2024 (AFP)
A man hides behind a column as smoke and dust spread as a result of an explosion during an Israeli raid targeting a school in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood on the outskirts of Gaza City on September 1, 2024 (AFP)
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Hamas, Fatah Agree to Form Committee to Govern Gaza

A man hides behind a column as smoke and dust spread as a result of an explosion during an Israeli raid targeting a school in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood on the outskirts of Gaza City on September 1, 2024 (AFP)
A man hides behind a column as smoke and dust spread as a result of an explosion during an Israeli raid targeting a school in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood on the outskirts of Gaza City on September 1, 2024 (AFP)

A Palestinian source confirmed that Fatah and Hamas have agreed to form a body called the Social Support Committee to govern Gaza after the war. The source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the final agreement was reached during discussions in Cairo and will be presented to President Mahmoud Abbas for approval.

The two-page document describes the committee as the body responsible for managing Gaza under the authority of the Palestinian government in Ramallah. It outlines six key principles for its formation: preserving the unity of Palestinian territories within the 1967 borders (West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza), maintaining communication between the Palestinian government and the committee, adhering to the Palestinian political framework, preventing Gaza’s separation from other Palestinian territories, selecting independent and qualified Palestinian leaders, and coordinating with existing local authorities in Gaza.

The committee’s mandate will end when its purpose is fulfilled, general elections are held, or another agreed-upon framework is implemented, subject to national consensus and a decision by the Palestinian president.

The Palestinian Authority and Hamas turned to this committee as a way to counter regional and international efforts to marginalize them in post-war Gaza governance, according to the sources.

Under the agreement, the committee will report to the Palestinian Authority, overseeing humanitarian aid distribution, civil affairs, and Gaza’s reconstruction, including managing the Rafah border crossing. According to the document, the joint body will assume control of Rafah under the terms of the 2005 border agreement, which stipulated Palestinian Authority management of the crossing with international monitors and remote Israeli oversight. While the US and the EU support a return to this arrangement, Israel has so far opposed it, offering only a symbolic role for the Palestinian Authority at Rafah.

The agreement, mediated by Egypt, is part of a broader effort to secure a prisoner exchange deal, a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and an eventual Israeli withdrawal. Officials from both Hamas and Israel have expressed cautious optimism about a potential deal, though the details remain unclear.

Asharq Al-Awsat recently reported that Hamas is more open than ever to a phased agreement for Gaza, similar to the framework adopted in Lebanon. Sources indicated that Hamas is willing to accept a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, including contentious areas such as Philadelphi and Netzarim. The group is also prepared to let the Palestinian Authority manage the Rafah crossing if it leads to its immediate reopening.

The agreement also proposes establishing an international fund for Gaza’s reconstruction and reactivating pre-war mechanisms for border crossings. However, it avoids addressing contentious issues such as security control, arms, and law enforcement in Gaza.