US embassy cable - 04TELAVIV2337

S E C R E T TEL AVIV 002337 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/22/2009 
TAGS: PREL, KWBG, ASEC, GZ, IS, ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS 
SUBJECT: GAZANS BREAK FROM JAIL DETAINEES IN OCTOBER 2003 
EMBASSY ATTACK 
 
 
Classified By: Pol/C Norm Olsen, per 1.4(b) and (d). 
 
This is a joint cable from ConGen Jerusalem and Embassy Tel 
Aviv. 
 
1.  (U) Palestinian militants from the Popular Resistance 
Committee (PRC) staged a prison break at the civil jail in 
Gaza City April 21, freeing several suspects held in 
connection with the October 15 attack on an embassy convoy 
that killed three Americans, according to a statement issued 
by the PRC April 22.  The statement claimed that the PRC had 
successfully freed three of the four suspects; the fourth 
prisoner could not be freed, the statement continued, as he 
was being held in a secluded cell elsewhere in the building. 
The PRC in its statement justified the action by claiming 
that a Palestinian court had ordered the four men released 
over a month ago, and that the four were being unlawfully 
held in jail. 
Descriptions of the break varied from non-violent to a gun 
battle. 
 
2.  (S) The ConGen contacted Minister of Interior Hakam 
Bal'awi April 22 for clarification.  An assistant said that 
the MOI would provide a full report once it had investigated 
the incident.  (Note: ORCA has reported separately on this 
incident April 22). 
 
3.  (C) Palestinian newspapers carried conflicting reports on 
the details of the jail break, and rumors about the incident 
abound, with some claiming that tens of other prisoners were 
also freed during the breakout.  Although there were reports 
of a gun battle, one source told Poloff that the escape 
happened without a shot fired -- the PRC men simply entered 
the jail, overpowered the guards (who allegedly put up little 
resistance), and freed their comrades.  In another version, 
several men entered the jail on the pretext of visiting some 
of the inmates.  Once inside the building, however, the men 
overpowered the guards, allowed a much larger group of 
militants into the jail, and freed the prisoners. 
 
 
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