PA minister vows to free Samaritans jailed in Israel

Ma'an
The Palestinian minister of prisoners affairs, Issa Qaraqe, met a Samaritan family in Nablus and its grand priest, Abed Al-Mu'een Sadaqa, on an official visit on Friday.

The minister was in the area visiting the family of another Samaritan, Nader Sadaqa As-Samiri, who was sentenced to three life terms at the Israeli Remon prison. He was arrested on 2004.

"We demand the release of everyone, and reject discriminatory and harsh conditions" inside Israeli jails, Qaraqe said, adding, "All prisoners are freedom fighters who struggled for the sake of a just cause and deserve all political and humanitarian effort [on their behalf]."

As-Samiri's father complained of racist and insulting treatment exhibited by Israeli prison guards during attempts to visit his son,including multiple times at random outside the jail's gates, and said he had been inexplicably prevented from entering the facility more than once.

The minister gave As-Samiri's family an emblem, and vowed that the Palestinian Authority ministry would continue to work on behalf of Israel's estimated 10,000 Palestinian detainees.

Qaraqe also visited relatives of Karim Ishaq I’mran, another Samaritan who was sentenced to eight years.

The head of the small Palestinian religious group thanked the minister and his accompanying delegation and offered his greetings to President Mahmoud Abbas and the PA for what he termed their continuing kindness toward the community.

The grand priest thanked the PA for its efforts toward integrating minorities into Palestinian society and national fabric, and reiterated the Samaritans' "only wish," an end to the Israeli occupation, "and to enjoy the establishment of freedom and independence." Full story

Samaritan history