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| By Israel Insider staff July 8, 2007 |
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The cabinet approved in principle Sunday the release of 250 Fatah prisoners who do "not have blood on their hands," meaning they are not directly connected to killing Israelis, as part of an effort to support Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
"I think that this gesture is a fitting one, and not a product of some illusion," said Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
"We want to make use of all means to strengthen moderate forces within the Palestinian Authority, and to encourage them to follow the path that we believe can create conditions for real talks," said the prime minister on the motives of the prisoner release.
Olmert also said that the release would not have an adverse effect on efforts to free Israel's kidnapped soldiers.
"Without a doubt, this move won't hurt the chances to bring about the release of Gilad Shalit, Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, and it might even create conditions that will ease the process," stated Olmert.
Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, Israel Beiteinu ministers Avigdor Lieberman and Yitzhak Ahronovich, and all the ministers from the ultra-Orthodox Shas party opposed the cabinet decision.
Shas Chairman Eli Yishai responded to the cabinet decision, saying "If terrorists are being released, there is no reason not to also free Jews who have killed Arabs."
According to Mofaz, the prisoner release would not achieve its motive of strengthening Abbas, and MK Gideon Sa'ar of Likud said that the decision would be a security risk to Israeli citizens.
Public Security Minister Avi Dichter said after the vote that releasing Palestinian prisoners over the past 13 years has never leads to a PA gesture reducing terror, reported Israel Radio.
Though the cabinet approved the release of 250 Fatah prisoners, the specific prisoners to be included in the list were not agreed upon. Olmert had announced the proposed prisoner release at last month's Sharm e-Sheikh summit.
The names on the list have been disputed. On Saturday, Olmert ordered Shin Bet and the Justice Ministry to remove the names of many prisoners, and replace them on the list with prisoners who had more time remaining on their sentences.
Fatah officials had complained that the list included many prisoners who were soon to be released anyway.
According to a Jerusalem political source, prisoners who have served more than two-thirds of their sentences will be preferred for the list, and if there are not enough that fit such criteria, Israel will be more flexible in their criteria. Israel will also consider for medical reasons adding to the list prisoners who are serving long terms for serious crimes.
Israel has rejected the Palestinian request to include top Fatah official Marwan Barghouti, who is currently serving five life-sentences for killing five Israelis.
Top Abbas aide Saeb Erekat said that Israel would not form a joint committee with the Palestinians to discuss the prisoner release. "We have not been consulted on this release," he said.
Information Minister in Abbas' new government, Riad Maliki, predicted that the prisoners released would be mostly from pro-Fatah security forces.
"If it was in our hands to choose... we would have chosen a group that more fairly represented the body of Palestinian prisoners, from all political groups," Maliki said.
Hamas spokesman in Gaza, Sami Abu Zuhri, criticized the release of only Fatah prisoners, calling it proof that Abbas is joining forces with Israel.
"He should have refused any release unless it includes all Palestinian prisoners," he said.
Israel's last prisoner release was in February of 2005, when it freed 500 prisoners in a previous effort to support Abbas shortly after he was been elected as PA chairman. |
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