After the body of Tiran Fero, a young Israeli from the country's Druze minority, was returned to Israel, a delegation on behalf of the Palestinian Authority arrived in the Druze town of Daliyat al-Karmel on Saturday to console the grieving family.
Mahmoud al-Habbash, the religious affairs adviser to PA President Mahmoud Abbas, headed the delegation and said earlier on Friday the kidnapping was "shameful and diverged from the teachings of Islam, and those who don't agree can seek out a different religion."
Some Palestinians took umbrage at Habbash's remarks, accusing the PA of giving in to Israel's demands without acting to retrieve the bodies of Palestinian militants held by Israel.
Palestinian militants, as well as families of Palestinian terrorists whose bodies are held by Israel, also directed their discontent at Israel's Druze community.
Following the abduction of Fero's body, the PA assembled a special panel to ensure it was returned to Israel.
According to a Palestinian campaign to release the bodies of terrorists held by Israel, the Jewish state has been holding since 2015 the bodies of no less than 117 Palestinian, including 12 children, two women, and nine prisoners who passed away in Israeli prisons. Israel also holds the bodies of 17 Palestinians hailing from the northern West Bank city of Jenin, which became a hotbed of Palestinian terrorist activity against Israel over the past year.
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Tiran Fero and the vehicle that carried his body back to Israel
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
The PA sought to retrieve Fero's body out of concern subsequent Israeli sanctions could have a detrimental effect on Jenin's economy, as the city heavily relies on the footfall of Israeli Arabs who visit it throughout the week for shopping, entertainment, and medical treatment, among other things.