Jailbreak unites Palestinians, confounds Israelis

Week in Review

Arab Israeli protesters lift Palestinian flags and spoons, reportedly the digging tool used by six Palestinian prisoners who escaped from Israel's Gilboa prison, as they demonstrate in the mostly Arab city of Umm al-Fahm in northern Israel, on Sept. 10, 2021, to denounce punitive measures taken by the Israel Prison Service against Palestinian prisoners following the jailbreak. — JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images

The escape of six Palestinian prisoners from an Israeli jail on Sept. 6 has united Palestinian public opinion, confounded Israeli security services and could spark a new round of clashes with Israeli forces.

The prisoners, all from Jenin in the West Bank, include Zakaria Zubeidi, the former chief of Palestinian security in Jenin, and five members of Islamic Jihad, all of whom were serving long sentences on terrorism-related charges.

Late Friday evening, two of the prisoners, Islamic Jihad members Mahmoud Aradeh, who is presumed to be the mastermind of the escape, and Yakub Kadari were caught in Nazareth, prompting rocket fire from Gaza.

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Jailbreak unites Palestinians, confounds Israelis

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