DEFEND JERUSALEM has requested that Member of Knesset (MK) Omer Bar-Lev, the Minister of Internal Security, use the full power of his office to stop the anti-Israel and pro-terrorist activities of Hafez al-Rafa’i, a senior officer serving both the Palestinian Authority and Fatah. Hafez al-Rafa’i holds the rank of “A’mid,” or Brigadier-General in the Palestinian Authority’s National Security Forces—the areas under his purview include Ramallah, al-Bireh, and the suburbs of East Jerusalem.
Hafez al-Rafa’i is a member of both the Palestinian Authority and Fatah’s executive committees that deal with Jerusalem. Al-Rafa’i is an instrumental planner and conspirator of a “slow-creep” strategy designed to slowly subvert the day-to-day and long-term peace and security inside Jerusalem through the incitement of violence; the plan is to ultimately undermine Israeli sovereignty in the capital. Al-Rafa’i has been a key figure in advancing the PA and Fatah agendas among the Arab citizens of Jerusalem and he has sparked unrest and bloodshed to advance Palestinian goals. He operates covert networks throughout the city. He is, in essence, the Palestinian National Security Force commander for all matters Jerusalem.
Hafez al-Rafa’i’s activities in Israel—and specifically Jerusalem—are prohibited by Israeli security and criminal statutes. It must be emphasized that these activities are strictly forbidden by the provisions of the 1994 Oslo Peace Accords and the mutually agreed to declarations of the Palestinians, the State of Israel, and third-party international powers.
It is therefore of the utmost importance and urgency that the Ministry of Internal Security put a stop to all of Hafez al-Rafai’s activities against the State of Israel and the specific target of his operation: Jerusalem.
