The political security echelon in Israel succumbed to the threats of the terrorist organizations and agreed to release the administrative prisoner Hisham Abu Hashwash to buy temporary peace. The defense establishment amateurishly managed the crisis and turned Abu Hashwash into a Palestinian "national hero"

The Palestinians achieved a "victory" image over Israel last week. The political and security echelon surrendered, and agreed not to extend the administrative detention order of Islamic Jihad operative Hisham Abu Hawash, who went on a "hunger strike" for 141 days in protest of his arrest, in exchange for ending his hunger strike. In February, his hunger strike caused Israeli political damage around the world and Hamas threatened to fire rockets from the Gaza Strip at Israel and widespread disturbances in the West Bank.

Although this is an administrative detention without a conviction at trial, Hisham Abu Hashwash is not innocent. He was previously convicted and sat for several years in an Israeli prison in 2006 for security offenses. According to the GSS he continued to engage in terrorist activities. He was not prosecuted because the GSS did not want to reveal the sources of intelligence about him, so the arrest was administrative. 

The defense establishment has conducted the legal-security campaign amateurishly to say the least, the arrangement reached with him is a matter of "putting out fires", and the problem will most likely re-emerge in the hunger strike of the next administrative detainee.

Image: Flash90