YNET: Saudi Arabia opens luxury rehab center for Qaeda terrorists Extremists jailed during crackdown on local branch of al-Qaeda will be able to swim, work out and watch television between meetings with counselors. 'To fight terrorism, we must give them an intellectual and psychological balance,' says director of rehab centers

Saudi Arabia is hoping to wean jailed al-Qaeda terrorists off religious extremism with counseling, spa treatments and plenty of exercise at a luxury rehabilitation center in Riyadh.

In between sessions with counselors and talks on religion, prisoners will be able to relax in the center's facilities which include an Olympic-size indoor swimming pool, a sauna, gym and a television hall.

The new complex is the work of the Prince Mohammed bin Nayef Center for Counseling and Care, a body set up seven years ago to rehabilitate extremists jailed during a Saudi crackdown on the local branch of al-Qaeda.

"Just under 3,000 (Islamist prisoners) will have to go through one of these centers before they can be released," interior ministry spokesman General Mansur al-Turki told AFP during a tour of the new center.

Another center has already opened in the western port city of Jeddah, and three more are planned for the north, east and south of the desert kingdom.

The new facility in Riyadh, however, is the first to offer inmates a taste of luxury as an incentive to moderate their beliefs.

Olympic-size indoor swimming pool at center (Photo: AFP)

The centers bear the name of the current interior minister, who spearheaded the government's crackdown on al-Qaeda following deadly attacks by the group between 2003 and 2006 in which more than 150 Saudis and foreigners were killed.

Al-Qaeda jihadists, many of them trained in Afghanistan, had targeted Saudi Arabia for allowing US troops to set up bases in the kingdom during the Gulf War and to stay on afterwards, until they eventually withdrew in 2003.

During the crackdown, many terrorists fled from Saudi into Yemen's lawless southern and southeastern regions where the network formed al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in January 2009 - classified by the United States as the jihadists' deadliest branch.

Prince Mohammed himself survived a suicide attack by a jihadist in August 2009 when a bomber managed to infiltrate the prince's security. The prince suffered only superficial injuries.

The Riyadh centre spreads over an area equivalent to around 10 football pitches and is designed to accommodate 228 prisoners from the "deviant group," the term used by Saudi authorities to refer to al-Qaeda.

Each of the 12 buildings at the flagship facility will host 19 prisoners, who will have access to special suites where they can spend time with visiting family members.

Good behavior could earn them a two-day break with their wives.

'Dialogue and persuasion.' Saudi rehab center (Photo: AFP) 

During the day, the prisoners will attend seminars on religious affairs, aimed at steering them away from thoughts of jihad.

"In order to fight terrorism, we must give them an intellectual and psychological balance... through dialogue and persuasion," said the director of the rehabilitation centers, Said al-Bishi.

He said a total of 2,336 al-Qaeda prisoners have now been through Saudi rehabilitation schemes.

"The percentage of those who rejoin the deviant minority does not exceed 10%," Bishi said, a proportion he described as "encouraging".

AFP tried to speak to several former al-Qaeda prisoners who had been released after going through rehabilitation but they declined to be interviewed about their experiences.

Not everyone is convinced, however. There have been some high-profile returns to the ranks of the jihad, such as Saeed al-Shehri, who became deputy leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula after supposedly being rehabilitated.

Liberals are particularly critical of the religious content of the program which they say draws on an ultra-conservative version of Islam not so different from al-Qaeda's own.

"We cannot know if the program will succeed in eradicating terrorism and extremism," social scientist Khaled al-Dakheel told AFP.

"To treat the problem at its root, one should challenge jihadist thought with an enlightened philosophy, not just with other Salafist ideas that are only slightly less extreme," he said.

"There must be pluralism and an acknowledgement of the rights of others to be different."

Shlomi Eldar reports on Palestinian responses to the Itamar murders

One-third of Palestinians support Itamar attack Most Gazans seek widespread demonstrations against Hamas; Palestinians don't think Mideast protests will bring statehood.

One-third of Palestinians support the attack in Itamar in March, in which an Israeli family of five was murdered while 63 percent opposed it, according to a Hebrew University poll released on Wednesday.

The survey was conducted by Prof. Yaacov Shamir of the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace and the Department of Communication and Journalism at the Hebrew University, and Prof. Khalil Shikaki, Director of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR).

Shamir and Shikaki also found that 67% of Gazans seek to organize demonstrations against the Hamas government, like the ones in Egypt and Tunisia. 

However, most Palestinians (66%) and Israelis (73%) do not think that such protests "would be capable of ending the occupation nor of stopping settlements."

Nearly 70% of Israelis said that it is unlikely that Israeli Arabs would hold major demonstrations. 

Over half (54%) of Palestinians said they did not think that protests in the Middle East would increase the likelihood of establishing a Palestinian state in the next five years, while only 42% agreed.

Please pray for the following victims of yesterday’s Jerusalem bombing

Please pray for the following victims of yesterday’s Jerusalem bombing:

Odelia Nechama bat Michal - suffered serious head injuries and is in intensive care. Her life is still in danger.

Natan Daniel ben Shulamit - a 17-year-old student who is in serious condition.  He suffered massive internal injuries and has had a number of internal organs removed. 

Leah Bracha bat Shoshana - is a 19-year-old seminary student.  She suffered burns to her legs and arms as well as serious shock.

David Amoyal - David is the owner of the snack stand next to the bus stop.  He told everyone to run away and then called the police, and was on the phone with them when the bomb exploded.  He suffered injuries to his legs and feet and lower body.  He is in moderate condition.

Sasson ben Shulamit - This is the second time Sasson has been injured in a terrorist attack in Jerusalem.  He suffered lower body injuries and serious post-traumatic symptoms.

Ad Shapira - Ad is 18 years old and just about to complete high school.  She suffered light orthopedic injuries and is in good condition in hospital.

Shilo ben Ofra - Shilo is 15 years old, and suffered burns and fractures to his legs and lower abdomen.  He is sedated in intensive care.

Daniel ben Nurit - Daniel is 13 years old, and suffered lacerations and shrapnel injuries to his lower extremities, and is likely to be released from the hospital before Shabbat.

Elchanan ben Alona - Elchanan is 14 years old, and suffered serious injuries to his feet.  One ankle and three of his toes were crushed.  He has had one operation and will require more surgery.  He will likely be in the hospital at least 2-3 weeks.

Netanel ben Shlomit - Netanel is 18 years old and works as a security guard at the bus station.  He was injured in the abdomen and had surgery.  He is now recuperating in the hospital.

Jerusalem Mayor Barkat at the Scene of the Terror Attack

“When terror attempts to disrupt our way of life, the best solution is to get back to normal as quickly as possible,” Jerusalem Mayor Barkat said after Wednesday‘s terrorist bomb attack that killed one woman and wounded 50 others.

"It's important to return to our regular routines as quickly as possible… Events in Jerusalem will not be cancelled and Jerusalem will not stop running,” he said. The annual Jerusalem Marathon will take place on Friday as scheduled.

At least one of the injured is an American studying at a seminary in Jeursalem. She underwent surgery Wednesday evening, and people are requested to recite Psalms for Leah Brachah Bas Shoshana Basya.

Raw Video: Bomb Explodes at Jerusalem Bus Stop

Terror attack Jerusalem - Bus Stop Congress Center

Explosion Rocks Jerusalem Bus Stop

Report from Shaare Zedek re this morning's terrorist attack

After several years of relative quiet, the emergency preparedness protocols were put into immediate effect at Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center when an explosion rocked a bus stop only kilometers away injuring over 20 people.  The hospital, the closest to the scene of the accident at the entrance to Jerusalem, absorbed 14 victims of the attack. The majority of those who arrived at Shaare Zedek presented injuries classified as minor. Of the 14 injured 11 were classified as minor injuries with the remainder identified as moderate injuries.  Two were in surgery at the time of this writing.  The nature of the injuries varied but included wounds to the chest that resulted from shrapnel that erupted out of the explosion. Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman arrived at Shaare Zedek to be briefed on the triage efforts and to visit with the wounded.

Gaza City - Hamas Celebrates 23rd Anniversary With Mass Rally

Tens of thousands of Hamas supporters flocked to Gaza City Tuesday for a mass rally to boost support for the militant Palestinian group on its 23rd anniversary.

Streets, cars and buildings were adorned with Hamas' trademark green, and huge crowds of flag-waving supporters clogged the streets to reach the rally where Hamas leaders lauded the group's history of fighting Israel.

"Hamas has not failed, Hamas has not collapsed," Prime Minster Ismail Haniyeh told the crowd. "Hamas did not fail to bring together government and resistance."

Hamas has often been torn between its roots as a militant group seeking to destroy Israel and a local government responsible for providing services to 1.5 million Gazans.

While sticking to its militant rhetoric, Hamas has largely observed an informal truce since a bruising Israeli offensive two years ago, forgoing attacks that could spur Israel to strike back or tighten its blockade. Any Israel response could make life harder for Gazans, some 30 percent of whom lack jobs. Many more rely on food aid.

Hamas' message still resonates with many in this crowded and conservative Muslim society.

Gaza teacher Jamila Hatab, 48, brought two sons and five granddaughters to Tuesday's rally.

"I trust Hamas because they are the only people on earth who still say no to America and to Israel," she said.

But support for Hamas is difficult to gauge because Gazans fear repercussions if they speak freely. Hamas' control over the Palestinian coastal strip remains unchallenged, but some analysts detect growing impatience with Gaza's isolation and Hamas' moves to impose strict Islamic mores and stifle dissent.

Other, smaller militant groups criticize it for limiting attacks on Israel.

Hamas official Osama Muzini called the rally a referendum on Hamas' popularity.

"All people who came to the streets came to say yes to Hamas and to its model of government and resistance," he said.

The rally's turnout is closely watched every year, and Hamas worked hard to ensure an impressive crowd.

From the early morning, mosque loudspeakers blared calls to attend, and hundreds of buses and vans shuttled supporters from all over Gaza to a huge, sandy lot in Gaza City awash in green, Hamas' trademark color for its association with Islam.

A 100-yard (meter) long stage recalled the walls of Jerusalem's Old City, and the rally's speakers stood in front of a 3D model of Jerusalem's gold-capped Dome of the Rock.

In a message distributed to media Tuesday morning, Hamas said it remains committed to destroying Israel, bringing back Palestinian refugees and seizing control of Jerusalem's holy sites.

"Anyone who gives up these rights is a traitor," it said — an apparent dig at Hamas' rival, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who favors a peace agreement with Israel.

Hamas seized control of Gaza from forces loyal to Abbas in 2007, leaving his Western-backed Palestinian Authority governing only in the West Bank. Repeated efforts to reconcile the two Palestinian factions have since failed.

PMW: Hamas video: Allah, kill Christians and Jews "to the last one"

A video on official Hamas TV calls for Allah to kill Jews, Christians, Communists and their supporters. The video asks Allah to "count them and kill them to the last one, and don't leave even one."

As Palestinian Media Watch has reported this call for the killing of non-Muslims was a regular pronouncement by both Palestinian Authority (Fatah) and Hamas political and religious leaders for many years starting in July 2000.

For years, sermons by religious leaders on official Palestinian Authority TV under Yasser Arafat and Mahmoud Abbas routinely presented the killing of Jews as a religious obligation and a fulfillment of the Islamic ideal.

Due to PMW's exposure of these sermons, which led to international criticism and pressure, Mahmoud Abbas, whose office controls PA TV, has been forced to prevent the broadcast of sermons calling for extermination of Jews on PA TV.

The latest sermon of this nature on PA TV was in January 2010. 

Click here to see the section on PMW's website documenting the PA and Hamas depicting the killing of Jews as an Islamic obligation.

The following is the transcript of the Hamas video clip:

"Allah, oh our Lord, vanquish Your enemies, enemies of the religion
[Islam] in all places.
Allah, strike the Jews and their sympathizers,
the Christians and their supporters,
the Communists and their adherents.
Allah, count them and kill them to the last one, and don't leave even one."

[Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas), Dec. 3, 2010]