PA tried to hamper attempted murder case in Eishel

[ 14/02/2011 - 05:35 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- The prisoner affairs ministry in Gaza said its counterpart in Ramallah has exerted strong pressure to close the case of an attempted hit on Aqsa Martyrs Brigades commander Haitham Ezzat Salihiyya by the Israeli prison authority.

The case would have seemed to be obvious to investigators. The agent assigned to slip the toxic pill into Salihiyya's coffee had already confessed under oath to attorney Rami Al-Alami that he had been trained by Shin Bet (Israel's security agency) for two weeks on how to handle the assassination.

Detailing instructions, he said he learned the pill would have to be inserted while the coffee was lukewarm and without stirring suspicions.

The incident made headlines across the planet and a complaint backed by testimonies had been filed against Israel.

Despite all that, the prisoner affairs ministry was surprised that the government in Ramallah did not want to push the issue and even pressured he prisoner's family to remain quiet and gave instructions to Al-Alami to refrain from presenting evidence to the media or the victim's family, as they complained the attorney had not responded to contacts and lost interest to speak with them.

Statements by Ramallah claiming the agent ordered with the hit was insane reflect a clear conspiracy to have such a sensitive case closed, the ministry's statement issued Monday said.

The ministry suspected other suspicious sicknesses and deaths in the prison may have been a result of the same practice.

It described how Ramallah handled the situation as a national crime, calling the de facto government an accomplice to the attempted murder.

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