Palestine leader freed from Israeli jail after 18 years

RAMALLAH

A Palestinian political leader jailed for the past 18 years was released from an Israeli prison on Thursday night.

Hassan Fatafta, leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, was arrested in 2003 over accusations that he was planning assassinations of Israelis.

He was freed from Ofer prison in western Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency after his release, he said prisoners held by Israel remain committed to the Palestinian cause.

“Palestinians must preserve the spirit of their struggle to achieve the goals that these prisoners fought for and for which they have been jailed,” Fatafta said.

*Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara