Israel Releases Longest-serving Palestinian Prisoner

Karim Younis (AFP)
Karim Younis (AFP)
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Israel Releases Longest-serving Palestinian Prisoner

Karim Younis (AFP)
Karim Younis (AFP)

Israel released the longest-serving Palestinian prisoner Karim Younis, who spent 40 years in Israeli prisons.

Younis was released on the roadside of a Jewish town without any means of communication, but he finally arrived in his hometown, where a grand reception and celebration were held for him.

“I got out of prison and left behind my heart with my comrades in captivity,” Younis told the crowd gathering in the Palestinian village of Ara within Israel.

Israeli police authorities and the Israel Prison Service held a meeting on the eve of Younis’ release at the office of the Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

At the meeting, it was decided that Younis should not be released at the penitentiary’s main gate but must instead be dropped off at a location that turned out to be a bus station in Ranana, a town north of Tel Aviv.

According to one of the relatives, after being dropped off at the station, Younis met by chance with Palestinian workers from the West Bank who helped him reach out to his relatives.

Younis was eventually picked up by a relative and brought to his hometown of Ara, where he was celebrated as a hero.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh, Speaker of the Palestinian National Council Rawhi Fattouh, the Fatah movement, and the rest of the factions congratulated Younis on his freedom.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Younis “represents a symbol of the Palestinian people and the free people of the world in steadfastness.”

The Israeli government had prevented his release for 40 years, despite the conclusion of 18 prisoner exchange deals.

Moreover, authorities examined legal means that would allow them to exile Younis or put him under administrative detention. Eventually, they decided to refer to the attorney general justice to strip him of his Israeli citizenship.

Younis, however, openly said he won’t be trying to get his hands on an Israeli passport which he said was the “world’s worst travel document.”

“Anyone with an Israeli passport is faced with hatred from anyone who considers themselves free,” he said.



Sharaa Denies he Wants to Turn Syria into a Version of Afghanistan

This handout image made available by the Telegram channel of the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) early on December 17, 2024 shows Ahmed al-Sharaa receiving the director of the Middle East and North Africa department at Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office in Damascus. (Photo by SANA / AFP)
This handout image made available by the Telegram channel of the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) early on December 17, 2024 shows Ahmed al-Sharaa receiving the director of the Middle East and North Africa department at Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office in Damascus. (Photo by SANA / AFP)
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Sharaa Denies he Wants to Turn Syria into a Version of Afghanistan

This handout image made available by the Telegram channel of the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) early on December 17, 2024 shows Ahmed al-Sharaa receiving the director of the Middle East and North Africa department at Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office in Damascus. (Photo by SANA / AFP)
This handout image made available by the Telegram channel of the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) early on December 17, 2024 shows Ahmed al-Sharaa receiving the director of the Middle East and North Africa department at Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office in Damascus. (Photo by SANA / AFP)

The de facto leader of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has said the country is exhausted by war and is not a threat to its neighbors or to the West, denying that he wanted to turn Syria into a version of Afghanistan.

In an interview with the BBC in Damascus, he called for sanctions on Syria to be lifted.

"Now, after all that has happened, sanctions must be lifted because they were targeted at the old regime. The victim and the oppressor should not be treated in the same way," he said.

Sharaa led the lightning offensive that toppled Bashar al-Assad's regime less than two weeks ago. He is the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the dominant group in the opposition alliance, and was previously known by his nom de guerre of Abu Mohammed al-Golani.

He said HTS should be de-listed as a terrorist organization. It is designated as one by the UN, US, EU and UK.

Sharaa denied that he wanted to turn Syria into a version of Afghanistan, saying the two countries were very different, with different traditions. Afghanistan was a tribal society. In Syria, he said, there was a different mindset.

He also told the BCC that he believed in education for women.

"We've had universities in Idlib for more than eight years," Sharaa said, referring to Syria's northwestern province that has been held by opposition fighters since 2011.

"I think the percentage of women in universities is more than 60%."