Palestinian Authority TV (Fatah), October 18, 2011.
In October 2011, the Israeli government agreed to release 1,027 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prison in exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who had been held hostage by Hamas for more than 5 years.
Transcript of Abbas’ speech on the day of the prisoners’ release, as broadcast on PA TV:
“The enforced absence which was imposed on you was because you are people of struggle and Jihad fighters for Allah and the homeland… Your sacrifice and your efforts and your actions were not in vain. You acted and struggled and sacrificed… We now see some of the most prominent among them [the released] and the rest, Allah willing, will be [freed] soon, very soon. Allah willing, soon we we will see here brother Marwan Barghouti, brother Ahmad Sa’adat, Ibrahim Hamed, and Abbas Al-Sayed.”
