Almagor to Open Database of Released Terrorists

Lahav Harkov

Almagor to Open Database of Released Terrorists

The initiative comes a week after Mu’taz Hijazi, a terrorist released from Israeli prison, attempted to assassinate Temple Mount activist Rabbi Yehuda Glick.

The Jerusalem Post

2014-11-06


A man lights a candle at a makeshift memorial for the victims of the October 22 terrorist attack at the Ammunition Hill light rail stop in Jerusalem. (Photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem/The Jerusalem Post)

Almagor Terror Victims Association is preparing a database of released terrorists so businesses can look up potential employees, accusing the Justice Ministry and Israel Police of negligence for not doing so themselves.

The initiative comes a week after Moataz Hejazi, a terrorist released from Israeli prison, attempted to assassinate Temple Mount activist Yehudah Glick outside the Menachem Begin Heritage Center.

Hejazi worked in Terasa, the restaurant in the museum, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Reuven Rivlin and other senior officials have dined. Terasa’s management said after the attack that they did not know Hejazi had been in Israeli prison for multiple stabbings and murder attempts.

“We checked, and the police and Justice Ministry do not have any system of warning workplaces,” Almagor director Meir Indor explained, demanding that they establish one to limit terrorists’ easy access to Israelis.

Families of terror victims have already begun voluntarily providing the organization with details about the terrorists and whom they killed or injured, and requested that the ministry provide them with information about the terrorists’ locations.

Indor pointed out that the justice minister does give information about pedophiles freed from jail.

As to whether prisoners should be rehabilitated in prison and have the chance to start a normal life when released, Indor said the academic theories on the matter do not apply to terrorists.

“These aren’t just criminals; they’re terrorists,” he said. “All of the theories on rehabilitation that are taught in social work departments in universities don’t work with the Muslim motivation to wage a terrorist war against Israel.”

Indor accused the government of not “connecting the dots” after Wednesday’s two vehicular terrorist attacks, saying they were avoidable and raise serious questions.

The Almagor chairman pointed out that Ibrahim al-Aqari, who perpetrated the first attack, was the brother of a terrorist released in exchange for then-captive soldier Gilad Schalit.

“This one saw his brother the murderer become a local hero and released from prison, and then followed in his brother’s footsteps,” he said. “How is it that [the government] failed to arrest the terrorist who committed the murder despite his publication of incitement and praise of murderers?” Indor called for the immediate arrest of the dozens of persons known to the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) who live in east Jerusalem and incite violence and organize the “ongoing intifada” in the capital.

“The current of violence is an organized campaign orchestrated by the Palestinian Authority and its president, precisely as stated by Israel’s prime minister—but the prime minister is not a commentator. His government’s job is not to make declarations but to take action!” he said.

The Justice Ministry did not respond to requests for comment.