Nasser Mousa Ahmad Abd Rabbo, now 58, a terrorist resident of the Sur Baher neighborhood in southeast Jerusalem, was released this Wednesday from an Israeli prison. The timing of his release was symbolic – some would say chilling – on the very day the deal with Hamas was signed to release 48 hostages, both living and dead, who remain in the hands of the terror group in Gaza. This marks the completion of more than three decades behind bars for Abd Rabbo. It was also his second release after serving the same sentence: he was first freed in 2011, later returned to prison, and now released once again.
Police Warnings in Jerusalem
Before his release, Abd Rabbo was taken to the Jerusalem District Police headquarters at the Russian Compound, where he was warned not to organize, nor allow others to organize, a public celebration marking his release. He was specifically told to prevent the waving of Palestinian flags or the hanging of banners congratulating him. On Thursday, Abd Rabbo was required to appear at the David Subdistrict headquarters, located at the Kishle police station. This unit is responsible, among other things, for securing the Temple Mount and maintaining public order there. His summons was likely intended for a hearing that would bar him from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque for a set period, to prevent mass celebrations and potential disturbances at the site during the Sukkot holiday.
(Chase in East Jerusalem – This is the Shooter Caught)
From Prisoner to Shalit Deal
Abd Rabbo was first arrested in February 1988, at the age of 21. He was sentenced to three years in prison for security offenses, including participating in illegal demonstrations, waving flags, and torching vehicles. Just months before completing that sentence, while held at Shatta Prison, he murdered – together with others – a fellow security prisoner suspected of collaborating with Israeli authorities. For his role in the killing, he was sentenced to life in prison, later commuted, so that in total he was supposed to serve 37 years for both convictions.
In October 2011, after serving about 24 years, Abd Rabbo was first released as one of 1,027 security prisoners and terrorists freed as part of the “Shalit Deal.” He returned to Sur Baher, got married, and had a child. According to Palestinian sources, Abd Rabbo tried to rebuild his life and reintegrate into the local community on Jerusalem’s outskirts. However, Israeli intelligence indicated otherwise. In July 2014, a military legal committee chaired by a judge, after reviewing classified intelligence, decided to send him back to prison to serve the remainder of his sentence, ruling that he had violated his release conditions and returned to terror activity.
Abd Rabbo was set for release again in February 2025, as part of one of the stages in the previous deal with Hamas to release hostages. However, his release at that time was conditioned on deportation abroad. At the last moment, after he had already been taken out of his cell, Abd Rabbo refused to be deported and chose to remain in prison. Another prisoner was released in his place. This week, after serving an additional eight months, he was freed for the second time, without deportation.
