Hamdi Quran | |
---|---|
حمدي قرعان | |
Member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine | |
Personal details | |
Nationality | Palestinian |
Political party | Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine |
Militant Wing | Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades Then called "Red Eagle Brigades" |
Hamdi Quran is a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). He came to prominence when he was part of a four-man PFLP team which assassinated Rehavam Ze'evi, the Israeli minister of tourism, on 17 October 2001.[1] In 2002, Quran was sentenced by the Palestinian National Authority to 18 years for the crime and imprisoned in a Jericho prison under the supervision of British and American wardens under a deal worked out between US President, George W. Bush and Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, in April 2002.
Hamas release attempt and Israeli capture
In early 2006, the newly elected Hamas government announced its intention to release Ze'evi's assassins.[2] The US and British supervisors guarding the Palestinian prisoners in Jericho prison were removed due to safety concerns on 14 March 2006, and on the same day the Israeli Defense Forces besieged the prison in Operation Bringing Home the Goods, taking Quran and five other security prisoners into Israeli custody. Quran was sentenced by an Israeli court to life imprisonment for the Zeevi assassination, and was given 100 years for other shootings and bombings against Israelis.[3]
Depiction in arts and media
Quran features prominently in a PFLP propaganda song, Arabic: 17 أكتوبر زغرد كاتم الصوت, lit. '"On the 17th of October, the silencer spoke"' often shortened to Arabic: 17 أكتوبر, lit. '"October 17"' and a short documentary video the party media office made about the assassination.
References
- ↑ "Zeevi profile". the Guardian. 18 October 2001.
- ↑ Erlanger, Steven; Greg Myre (2006-03-15). "Israelis Seize 6 in Raid on Prison in the West Bank". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2009-03-21.
- ↑ BBC News, 2007-12-04, Israeli minister's killer jailed.