Arab Knesset member who aided terrorists released from jail

Balad party MK Basel Ghattas smuggled cellphones, notes to terrorist prisoners and was classified as a member of a terror group.

By World Israel News Staff 

Former MK Basel Ghattas has reportedly been released from an Israeli prison after serving about two years in jail for smuggling cellphones and notes to Palestinian security prisoners in Israeli jails.

Ghattas used his status as a member of Israel’s parliament, which allowed him to pass security checks without being inspected, to gain access to the terrorist prisoners.

He had been videotaped on a prison security camera committing the crime.

He himself was classified as a security prisoner by Israeli authorities who said he was a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror organization. He denied such membership.

Ghattas, of the Israeli Arab Balad party, served as a Joint List MK from 2015 to 2017.

In November, his request for a reduction to his two-year term was turned down by the parole board on the grounds that he had not expressed remorse.

His reported release early Monday morning is said to have been brought forward by a number of hours to prevent a celebration outside the jail if it had taken place during daylight hours.

Various Balad MKs over time have been marked for their involvement in security offenses against the Jewish State.

Former MK Azmi Bishara fled Israel to avoid prosecution for alleged spying activities for Hezbollah.

Former MK Haneen Zoabi joined the Mavi Marmara flotilla in 2010 which aimed to violently break through Israeli naval patrols near the Gazan shore, provoking the Israeli forces into a deadly confrontation.

In the current Knesset, a joint faction which includes Balad has four parliamentary seats.