(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Office)

Majdi Kamal Abdul Aziz Jabar Amar, born in 1974, from Kalil village in the Nablus area, a member of the Palestinian security services, was detained by the ISA and the IDF on 16 October 2005. He was an Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade terrorist and was operated by Hizbullah in Lebanon, via a handler in the Gaza Strip. He was imprisoned in Israel in 1992-93 for involvement in disturbances; after his release, he perpetrated various shooting attacks, mainly at IDF forces in the Nablus area.

He admitted that for nine months prior to his 16 October 2005 arrest, he had been in contact with a Hizbullah operative from Lebanon, known as Abu Raviya, in order to receive funds for his activities, along with Kalil Tanzim leader Wasim Mantsour.

Assisted by his twin brother, Amar informed Abu Raviya that he was active in a seven-man terrorist cell (all of whom were members of the Palestinian security services) and asked for funds in order to purchase weapons and ammunition. He said that Hizbullah was a good source of funds for financing acts of terrorism against Israeli targets.

Prior to Mantsour's arrest in February 2005, Majdi Amar and his cohorts had received over $1,500 from Abu Raviya.  Mantsour had been the contact with Abu Raviya.  However, the latter contacted Amar and informed him that future contacts would be via a contact named Abu Louay from the Gaza Strip.  Amar soon received an additional $1,500.

Amar said that since his name was on the list of fugitives that Israel had given the Palestinian Authority, he had received NIS 400-700 monthly from the PA in exchange for a promise to refrain from anti-Israel terrorist actions. However, Amar continued perpetrating such terrorist acts despite the PA funds.

Throughout the current conflict with Palestinian terrorist organizations, Hizbullah has sought to establish itself as the sole directing influence, vis-à-vis operations, for the various Tanzim factions and cells. In recent months, Hizbullah has set up a forward HQ in the Gaza Strip to provide a direct link with terrorist in Judea and Samaria in order to transfer funds and instructions. Hizbullah conditions the receipt of such funds on the perpetration of terrorist acts against Israeli targets, regardless of the particular ideology of the cells and terrorists involved.