Karim Younis, 60, was convicted of kidnapping and killing soldier Avraham Bromberg in 1983 on the Golan Heights.
According to the Palestinian Prisoners Association, he served the longest continuous sentence of any Palestinian in an Israeli prison.
In his hometown of Ara in the Haifa district, Younis received a hero’s welcome. Shrouded in a traditional Palestinian shawl, he was greeted by family, friends and supporters chanting and carrying him through the streets on their shoulders.
The Im Tirtzu movement and Torat Lehima organization filed a complaint against Younis on Thursday after the released prisoner stated, “I and all the prisoners are ready to sacrifice even more for Palestine and its freedom.”
Right-wing groups call on police to rearrest Younis
Alon Schwarzer, head of the research and policy department at Im Tirtzu, said Younis should return to prison.“Israel Police should arrest the terrorist Younis immediately and investigate him for his inciting words,” he said. “We must not accept the reality that a murderous terrorist is released from prison before he dies, and even more so we must not accept the absurdity that the same terrorist incites terrorism and may bring us more losses.”
On Tuesday, Interior Minister Arye Deri called for Younis to be stripped of his citizenship.
“Revoking his citizenship will send an important message when we are speaking about someone who has become a symbol for committing criminal acts of terror,” Deri wrote in a letter to Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara.
Some relatives of Israelis killed by Palestinian terrorism have also voiced support.
Avraham Bromberg’s nephew, who is also named Avraham in his uncle’s memory, told Walla on Monday, “Israeli citizenship is a privilege. An Israeli citizen can’t hold an Israeli ID card with one hand and murder a soldier with another, and it can’t be that the murderer will be freed from jail and walk around like anyone among our nation.”
Abbas congratulates Younis, released terrorist says he will 'continue struggle'
PA President Mahmoud Abbas congratulated Younis on Thursday.
“The prisoners are all in our eyes, and they are all our brothers, and their cause is sacred for all of us,” Abbas told him by phone. “We will not give up and we will not accept any concession against our brothers, the prisoners, whether they spent 40 years, or 40 seconds in the occupation detention centers. All of them are fighters who presented for our people the most prominent types of struggle.”
Younis told Abbas that he supported those taking up the Palestinians’ cause.
“I salute our people in the diaspora and in the West Bank, Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, who embrace this cause and have struggled for 100 years and have not raised the white flag, and will continue under your leadership in the struggle until their aspirations for freedom and independence are achieved soon.”Younis said he hopes to meet with Abbas soon.