Israel Fury as Abbas Meets 'Terrorist Temptress'
Israel has lashed out at Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas for meeting a former woman prisoner who lured an Israeli teen to his death, accusing him of "putting murderers on a pedestal."
Palestinian Amna Muna was sentenced to life behind bars for seducing a teenage boy through an Internet chatroom who was later shot dead by militants in 2001, but was freed in October under terms of a prisoner swap deal.
She was one of 11 former prisoners freed under the deal who met with Abbas in Ankara on Wednesday as he wound up a three-day trip to Turkey.
"We are disappointed by President Abbas's decision to meet with the terrorist temptress Amna Muna, whose Internet trap led to the brutal murder of an innocent Israeli teenager," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesman Mark Regev told AFP.
"Instead of promoting peace and reconciliation, the Palestinian leadership seems to be putting murders up on a pedestal. This raises serious questions about their commitment and desire to end the conflict," he said.
Abbas's meeting with the prisoners who were exiled to Turkey after being released as part of a swap deal between Israel and Hamas, took place behind closed doors and was only reported by Turkish state television.
The 11 Palestinians have been granted residence permits by the Turkish interior ministry, the station said.
In October, Israel released a first tranche of 1,027 prisoners in exchange for the handover of captive soldier Gilad Shalit, who was snatched by Hamas militants in June 2006.
The second and final part of the deal was completed on Sunday when Israel freed another 550 prisoners.
Most of the 477 prisoners freed in October were allowed to return home, but around 40 were exiled overseas, with some taken in by Turkey, others by Qatar and some sent to Syria
Source: Agence France Presse
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