Haj Yahya and Khalf
Joint List MK celebrates terror accomplice's prison release
MK Abd Al Hakeem Haj Yahya attended release party for Mohammed Khalf, convicted in 2005 of purchasing chemicals to be used in explosives for a Hamas terror cell in Tulkarm; 'He paid his debt to society,' MK says in his defense.
MK Abd Al Hakeem Haj Yahya of the Joint List attended a party last week celebrating the release from prison of a terror accomplice who aided a Hamas terror cell, yet he finds nothing wrong with his conduct.
"He paid his debt to society," Haj Yahya said in his defense.
In 2004, Mohammed Khalf, a carpenter in the Arab local council of Jatt in the Triangle area, hired Wael Zakala, a Palestinian from Tulkarm, to work in his carpentry shop.
MK Abd Al Hakeem Haj Yahya, second from the right, sits next to terror accomplice Mohammed Khalf, second from the left.
Zakala introduced his Israeli employer to the members of the terror cell when the latter visited him in Tulkarm.
From that point onward, Khalf became more and more involved in the cell's operations, aiding it in various way. Among other things, Khalf tried to help the cell members purchase weapons.
In early 2005, Zakala, who had a hard time obtaining chemical materials for his IEDs in the Samaria region, asked Khalf to use his access to such materials as an Israeli citizen.
In March 2005, Khalf purchased chemicals used in the production of explosives, including potassium nitrate and sulfur. He hid them in paper bags and traveled to Tulkarm to deliver them to Zakala.
Zakala's terror cell was able to produce at least nine IEDs from the chemicals provided by Khalf, hurling one of these explosives at an IDF force they were ambushing.
Khalf then agreed to continue providing the Tulkarm Hamas cell with chemicals and other materials. He received a shopping list from Zakala that included, in addition to potassium nitrate and sulfur, gunpowder, fuses and light bulbs.
Zakala was then arrested in a Shin Bet operation, and during his interrogation he gave up his Israeli boss, leading to Khalf's arrest as well.
Mohammed Khalf upon his arrest in 2005 (Photo: Motti Kimchi)
At first, Khalf denied any connection to terror activities, and claimed he didn't know Zakala. But Zakala's testimony combined with other evidence—including recordings of the two coordinating the purchases—were enough to convict him of aiding an enemy in wartime, having contact with a foreign agent, and illegally possessing weapons, among other things.
He was sentenced to 12 years in prison and was released last week.
His release caused a lot of excitement in the Triangle area, with several local media bodies broadcasting the event live. The convicted accomplice was welcomed by many dignitaries when he returned to his home in Jatt, including the aforementioned MK Abd Al Hakeem Haj Yahya, who got to sit next to the released prisoner.
The MK even posted some photos from the event to his Facebook page, writing that he was happy after visiting Khalf.
"Someone who was convicted of an offense, after he finished serving his time, you can't keep him locked up," Haj Yahya told Yedioth Ahronoth. "I don't even know what he did and what he was in prison for, and I won't be another judge to punish him after he had paid his debt to society."
This isn't the first time members of the Joint List meet with terrorists and their families.
The most notable such incident was when former MK Basel Ghattas met with Palestinian prisoners and tried to smuggle cellphones into the prison for them. Ghattas resigned from the Knesset as part of a plea deal and was sentenced to two years in prison, which he is currently serving.
