Despite warnings from the Shin Bet security agency and the state comptroller, a senior official from the Israeli Civil Administration that governs Judea and Samaria with knowledge of sensitive information has been kidnapped by the Palestinian Authority for a second time. This is according to an investigation by right-wing activist group Ad Kan, the details of which have been confirmed by Israel Hayom.
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Nidal al-Atari, a Palestinian who leaves near the West Bank city of Nablus, is a Defense Ministry employee tasked with examining all real-estate transactions in Judea and Samaria for the Israeli Civil Administration. Al-Atari is the right-hand man of Civil Administration Justice and Land Registration Staff Officer Tomer Carmi, whose authorization is required for any such transaction.
Around two weeks ago, Carmi approved al-Atari's request to take homes files on around 30 real-estate transactions as he had been unable to finish the work from his office. The following day, al-Atari was taken for investigation by the Palestinian Authority in Jericho, and he has not been back at work since.
As no copies, digital or otherwise, of the files in al-Atari's possession exist, the Civil Administration no longer has any evidence of the existence of these real-estate transactions. This could result in losses amounting to millions of shekels for those parties involved as well as expose the Defense Ministry to tort claims. In addition, the fact that the files, which include the names of those selling the land, some of whom have collaborated with Israel, are now in the PA's hands could put the sellers' lives in danger.
The last time al-Atari was kidnapped by Palestinian forces, he was tortured and went missing for months.
Despite al-Atari having clearly given information to the PA and warnings from the Shin Bet and the state comptroller that due to the sensitive information he had access to al-Atari would be a target for blackmail, the Civil Administration decided to promote him to a more senior position.
In a statement, the office of the Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories Maj. Gen. Ghasan Alyan said: "The subject is still under review by professionals in the Civil Administration, with the relevant officials in the Palestinian Authority. The employee is not involved in transactions involving Israelis, therefore there are no concerns information on land sales to Israelis could be leaked.
Right-wing politicians were quick to criticize the incident.
Yamina MK Amichai Chikli tweeted: "This publication is earth-shattering. A senior employee of the Civil Administration in possession of sensitive material was kidnapped by the PA. The significance: The Civil Administration that de facto runs Judea and Samaria has an intelligence breach and is being influenced from the inside by the PA. This cannot be ignored. I will demand an urgent discussion of the issue at the [Knesset] Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee."
Likud MK May Golan told Israel Hayom: "This is a huge failure by the Civil Administration. Following the publication by Ad Kan, it has come to the public's attention that a Palestinian citizen with a senior role in the Civil Administration has been kidnapped by the PA over sensitive information in his possession. It is strictly forbidden to allow the administration's control of the territories in Judea and Samaria to be at the mercy of the PA. Forbidden. I will submit an urgent proposal on the subject. I will not allow the head of the government of crooks to get out of giving answers on such an important and critical subject."
Far-right Otzma Yehudit party head Itamar Ben-Gvir said: "This is a security failure that abandons classified information to the enemy. The finger must be pointed at the Civil Administration, which collaborated with the enemy and did not prevent the delivery of the documents. Therefore, an investigation must be opened, lessons must be learned, and the guilty parties must be punished to the full extent of the law.
Religious Zionism Party MK Michal Woldiger said, "It's not just that [Prime Minister Naftali] Bennett is allowing his government's ministers to meet with the Holocaust denier and terrorist Abu Mazen [PA President Mahmoud Abbas], worse still, he is silent in the face of this terrible reality that includes the kidnapping of a senior Civil Administration official. Mr. Bennett … your silence in the face of this declaration of war exposes the people of Israel to great threats.
Maurice Hirsch, a former senior military jurist also took to Twitter following the report.
"From failure to failure, without learning a thing. For those who don't understand, the Civil Administration is one of the most dangerous bodies for the people of Israel's future in the land of Israel. For years, the body sees itself as more responsible for building the Palestinian terrorist state than promoting the return of Jews to the Land of Israel," he tweeted.
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