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Hamas Offers Collaborators Amnesty

Hazem Balousha reports on a new Hamas campaign offering amnesty to Palestinians in Gaza who have collaborated with Israel.
A Palestinian inmate stands behind the bars of a Hamas-run jail in Gaza City after prayers during the holy month of Ramadan July 23, 2012. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS RELIGION CRIME LAW) - RTR35878

Inside Ansar Central Prison in Gaza City, a security officer in military uniform accompanies a prisoner into a room that looks like a clinic. The prisoner, who has been accused of collaborating with Israel, is seated in front of me. The security officer remains in the room to monitor our conversation.

I ask the prisoner, B.A., if he had any objections to an interview with the press and whether he had been pressured to meet with me. “I am just following orders,” he replied with a little smile on his face. I explained the nature of the meeting to him and that I would be publishing his comments. “No problem,” he responded.  B.A. began the interview with details of his life and his arrest. 

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