PRC: Israel recruiting Palestinian refugees

Spokesman for Popular Resistance Committees says Israeli security officials attempted to recruit collaborators while dozens of refugees returned from Rafah to Gaza this week: 'We fear some may have agreed to cooperate and will be working for the Israeli intelligence'

".....According to Abdel Al, also known as Abu Abir, two Palestinians who returned to the Gaza Strip in recent days after being stranded for weeks on the Egyptian side of the Rafah Crossing claimed that Israeli security officials attempted to recruit them.

The two Palestinians, aged 24 and 37, said the Israeli security official asked them to collect information on Palestinian organizations in Rafah, and particularly on members of Hamas’ special task force.

The two claimed they were questioned by the security officials regarding who they knew, and were asked questions about specific activists. According to Abu Abir, the 24-year-old Palestinian was detained for three hours until he agreed to say that he would cooperate.....

The 37-year-old Palestinian, who had returned from Egypt where his son had undergone medical treatments for the eyesight problems he was suffering from, said that he was detained for about six hours.

"The Israeli security officer gave him a card for a cellular phone and told him that he would be compensated according to the quality of the material and information he will provide his operators with.".....

"Immediately after his return he contacted us, and this proves that if the Israelis control the crossings, they will endanger the Palestinians by being able to recruit additional collaborators."

According to Abu Abir, the Rafah crossing should be opened in order to minimize the possibility that Israel will extort those who pass by. "We fear that among those who returned in the past few days were some who agreed to cooperate, but we have not reached them and they may start working on the missions given to them by the Israeli intelligence."

According to Abu Abir, the people responsible for the situation are Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad for "assisting in the continued closure of the Rafah crossing." "