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Fuad Shobaki

Fuad Shobaki

Palestinian Authority

Middle East

Palestinian

20021210

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Israel charges Palestinian militants in 2001 assassination of minister

2006-05-13

An Israeli court on Friday charged four Palestinian militants in the 2001 assassination of a Cabinet minister, two months after troops snatched the men in a brazen military raid on a Palestinian jail in the West Bank. The suspects, members of the radical Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, did not comment to reporters as they entered the court. Two of the men smiled to cameras and looked to be in good spirits. In a closed hearing, the men were charged with murder, membership in a terrorist group and handling explosives for terrorist purposes, Israeli media said. Their next court date is scheduled June 8. The men were rounded up during a 10-hour Israeli invasion of a Palestinian prison in Jericho on March 14. Israel launched the operation after the new Hamas-led Palestinian government said it would release the men. The suspects are accused of carrying out the murder of Rehavam Zeevi, who was gunned down in a Jerusalem hotel in 2001. PFLP leader Ahmed Saadat was also arrested in the March raid. But Israel's attorney general has said there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute him in the Zeevi killing. Saadat remains in Israeli custody and will be tried separately in a military court for unspecified security offenses. Saadat spent more than three years in the Jericho prison based on Israeli accusations he had masterminded the assassination. The PFLP claimed responsibility for the assassination, saying it was in retaliation for Israel's killing of its leader. Saadat was named leader of the military group days before Zeevi's killing. After years of insisting Saadat was behind the murder, Attorney General Meni Mazuz's inability to find the necessary evidence to put him on trial was an embarrassment to Israel, experts said. A sixth suspect snatched from the Jericho prison, Fuad Shobaki, the alleged financier of an illegal weapons shipment to the Palestinians several years ago, will also be tried in a military court. Saadat and the other suspects were supervised in the Jericho prison by American and British wardens under the terms of an unusual 2002 arrangement. Israel stormed the prison just after the wardens left.

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Middle East

Court orders Jericho prisoner’s release

2002-12-10

The Palestinian high court has ordered the release of a high-ranking Palestinian official jailed over an attempt to smuggle tons of weapons by ship from Iran to the Gaza Strip. Fuad Shobaki, former financier to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, was imprisoned in May after Israel accused him of involvement in the so-called Karine-A affair. Mr Shobaki has been held under international guard at a jail in Jericho, the only West Bank city not under Israeli control. Israel said his release would violate a deal under which Israel relented in its demand that the Palestinian Authority (PA) extradite Mr Shobaki to face trial in Israel. Senior aides to Mr Arafat, who must approve the release, said it was unlikely the prisoner would be freed because of international repercussions. The Palestinian court ruled on Tuesday that there was no evidence against Mr Shobaki, endorsing the findings of a commission of inquiry set up by Mr Arafat following the affair. Israel has reacted angrily to the decision, saying it violated agreements. "The revolving door policy is still in effect. They [the Palestinians] arrest in one door and let out in the other door," said Raanan Gissin, an advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. He said Israel would have the right to "pursue" Mr Shobaki if he was freed. Aides to Mr Arafat, however, said the prisoner was unlikely to be released. "If we remove Shobaki from where he is right now, he may be abducted or killed by the Israelis," Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said. What ever gave you that idea?

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Middle East

Palestinians want two thugs freed

2002-05-03

The Palestinian Cabinet on Friday discussed the fate of two senior officials imprisoned as part of a U.S.-brokered deal that led to Yasser Arafat's release from Israeli confinement this week, and Palestinian officials said they expected the two to be freed soon. Ideally, the response should be "discuss and be damned." But they're gonna try and negotiate the Bad Guys out of jug. If they get them, they'll go for the other four. If they can't get them we'll see a campaign decrying how "unfair" their detention is. This is boring. Palestinian officials said that under the U.S. deal, the fate of Ahmed Saadat and Fuad Shobaki was left in the hands of the Palestinian legal system. Israeli officials disputed the claim, saying they were assured by the United States that Saadat and Shobaki would remain locked up as a condition for freeing Arafat. Sounds like we're on the hook to keep them... Israel had initially demanded the extradition of Saadat, leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), and Shobaki, a senior Arafat aide. Israel accuses Saadat of masterminding the assassination of Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi in October, and alleges Shobaki financed a large shipment of illegal weapons.

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