MILITANTS BREAK OUT OF PA PRISON IN NABLUS, ONE

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 000244 SIPDIS SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE, NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/08/2018 TAGS: KWBG PTER IS PREL SUBJECT: MILITANTS BREAK OUT OF PA PRISON IN NABLUS, ONE ESCAPEE AT LARGE Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) General Intelligence (Mukhabarat) contacts report that one prisoner (Muhammad Abu Ramih, al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades) remains at large after five al-Aqsa and PIJ fugitives broke out of Junayd Prison in Nablus on February 7. 15 fugitives in the PA prison have been on a hunger strike for two days, these contacts say, because the PA has not allowed them visits or phonecalls and has not given them a definite release date. (Note: the 15 are all wanted by Israeli authorities and were not included on lists of fugitives the PA and Israeli Shin Bet agreed would be granted amnesty in return for disarmament and agreement to refrain from attacks. PA security contacts report that the Shin Bet asked the PA to jail these 15 (in addition to several being held in Jericho or still at large),but did not commit to include them in the amnesty deal. End note). ¶2. (C) Mukhabarat contacts say that four of the escapees returned voluntarily. The Mukhabarat expects the remaining escapee to turn himself in soon, as contacts have been initiated with his family and associates. These contacts noted that Abu Ramih and the other fugitives know they will be targeted by Israel if they remain at large. WALLES