Ayman Sharuna, a terrorist released as part of the Gilad Shalit deal, was arrested by the IDF a week ago on suspicion that he has renewed his membership in the Hamas terror organization and has returned to terrorist activities. Intelligence reports indicate that he has returned to anti-Israel activities, breaching the terms of the agreement which led to his release.
The Military Advocate General has requested that he be returned to prison to serve the remainder of his original sentence, another 27 years.
Sharuna was initially convicted of involvement in terrorist attacks, including the placing of a bomb in Be’er Sheva in May 2002 that wounded 18 citizens, and a score of shooting attacks. He was sentenced to 38 years in prison.
A special three-judge committee will convene next week to decide whether Sharuna should be sent back to serve the remainder of his sentence. The IDF said: “Sharuna’s activities constitute an outright breach of his terms of release”.
Major-General Avi Mizrachi, CO of Central Command, decided two months ago that terrorists released as part of the Shalit deal who are arrested again should be brought before a special three-judge committee which will determine whether they should be sent back to serve the remainder of their sentence. This is the first time the committee will convene.
The IDF stressed that dozens of breaches have been committed by terrorists released as part of the deal.
MK Uri Ariel, who opposed the Shalit deal, said: “Unfortunately, the recapture of this terrorist is the first event in a wave of terror which is being planned by hundreds of terrorists released in the Shalit deal. We predicted this prior to the deal, and our prediction is now materializing, which further strengthens the need to promote the law I have submitted to ensure the release of terrorists on a one-to-one ratio.”
This new law, entitled “The Redemption of Captives”, stipulates that an exchange of imprisoned terrorists for IDF captives can only be consummated on a one-to-one ratio. The law further states that terrorists released in such a deal will not be pardoned. As a result, if they are arrested again for terrorist activities, they will be sent back to prison immediately to serve the remainder of their prison term.
MK Ariel recently hosted a special conference in the Knesset on this issue. The event was attended by Nobel Prize Laureate, Prof. Yisrael Aumann, Former Defense Minister Moshe Arens, Dr Boaz Ganor, Rabbi Moshe Hager and Noam Shalit, Gilad Shalit’s father, who was very active in bringing about his son’s release “at any cost”. Shalit surprised everyone at the event by saying that he agreed the price paid for his son’s release was high, but blamed the government for making strategic mistakes throughout the process.
Prof. Aumann said that the Shalit Deal was a catastrophe which strengthened Hamas. “We must stop giving terrorists incentives to kidnap soldiers and get what they want”.