Palestinian security prisoners with blood on their hands received millions of shekels’ worth of special food for holidays, an expensive TV in every cell, a ping-pong table and games, workout machines, unlimited newspapers and lavish family visits, according to official details obtained by Israeli NGO Im Tirtzu.
The details were released by the Israel Prison Service after a year-long legal battle that erupted when Im Tirtzu’s Legal Division submitted a request for the information under the Freedom of Information Law.
According to the information provided by the Prison Service, terrorists serving time in Israeli prisons receive a special meal for the Islamic holidays of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, which includes a chicken dish costing NIS 47 ($13) per prisoner.
In the year 2018 alone, these special holiday dishes for terrorists cost the Israeli taxpayer NIS 540,000 ($149,480), and from 2008 to 2018 the cost has exceeded NIS 6,500,000 ($1.8 million).
In addition, every prison cell contains a television costing NIS 480 ($132) and prisoners have access to workout machines, a ping-pong table, backgammon, chess, checkers and nearly unlimited newspapers and books.
The document also revealed that in 2018, the 5,753 security prisoners in Israeli jails received more than 41,000 visits, or seven visits per prisoner per year, which exceeds the Prison Service’s own bylaws that permit one visit per two months, or six per year per prisoner.
Among the visitors were Knesset members from the Arab parties. According to the information, in 2016 various Arab Knesset members visited terrorists 22 times.