Palestinian terrorist freed in exchange for Israeli hostages to speak at Athens University

In 1995, Issa planned attacks that killed 11 people and wounded more than 100. That same year, he was sentenced to two life sentences.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

A convicted Palestinian prisoner released in exchange for Israeli hostages is scheduled to speak at Panteion University in Athens.

Abdel Nasser Issa, described by event organizers as a Palestinian national leader and former political prisoner but actually a terrorist responsible for planning the murder of nearly a dozen people, was released in exchange for Israeli hostages in February and now lives in exile.

In 1995, Issa planned attacks that killed 11 people and wounded more than 100. That same year, he was sentenced to two life sentences.

However, the event organizers refer to Issa as a “veteran of the resistance movement” and present the event as a call for “unity, responsibility, and the shared vision of return and liberation.”

According to promotional materials, Issa will lead a discussion on what organizers call “the evolving role of the Palestinian diaspora and international solidarity movements in the struggle for liberation from the river to the sea.” The event is organized by Gather for Gaza, the Anti-Imperialist Front, Masar Badil and the Samidoun Network.

Samidoun has been identified by Israel as linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a group responsible for a series of terrorist attacks.

The discussion is set to explore how Palestinians abroad and international activists can “participate effectively in the national liberation struggle.”

It also refers to “intensifying resistance and renewed confrontation,” language often associated with violent campaigns against Israel.

The slogan “from the river to the sea” features prominently in the event’s materials, a phrase widely understood as rejecting Israel’s right to exist.

Issa’s invitation to speak at a European university comes less than a year after his release as part of a deal involving Israeli hostages held in Gaza.