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Palestinian protest for release of prisoners (AP)
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| By Israel Insider staff and partners February 5, 2005 |
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Israeli and Palestinian Authority representatives met Saturday night to resolve their differences concerning the release of Palestinian prisoners before Tuesday's Israel-PA summit in Sharm e-Sheikh, Egypt.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's senior aide, Dov Weisglass, is expected to arrive in Cairo on Sunday to finalize summit arrangements.
PA officials warned that unless thousands more prisoners are released, the summit would collapse and the Palestinians would return to terrorism. "If Israeli intransigence on this issue continues, the summit will fail," said Minister of Communications Azzam al- Ahmed. "If the prisoners aren't released, we will return to the cycle of violence."
The Palestinians are planning demonstrations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the coming days to demand release of all Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. The protests are intended to pressure Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
Abbas, Palestinian sources say, wants Israel to release dozens of veteran Fatah prisoners who were imprisoned before the Oslo Accords were signed in 1993.
PA representatives stomed out of a meeting with Weissglas last Thursday after being told that Israel would release only 900 prisoners, none of them murderers, as a gesture to Abbas. PA officials called the offer "insulting," and Minister of Negotiations Saeb Erekat said "The Israeli offer is completely unacceptable," he said. "This is one of the most important and sensitive issues for the Palestinians."
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