The Palestinian Authority has freed two of nine Islamic Jihad militants jailed over a February suicide bombing in Israel that jarred a cease-fire, security sources said Friday. They were released from a prison in Jericho Thursday and two more were expected to be let out Saturday based on a deal that they remain within the West Bank town, the sources said. | "Don't go no where, see?" "OK" |
Jericho is one of two West Bank towns, along with Tulkarm, where the Israeli army transferred security control to the Palestinian Authority. But Israel has suspended further handovers, saying Abbas must do more to subdue militants. After Tulkarm's handover, Israeli troops raided a nearby village and killed an Islamic Jihad commander they accused of having masterminded the Tel Aviv bombing.
Asked about the prisoner release, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said: "The Palestinian Authority's living up to its commitment to fight terrorism is a prerequisite for moving forward on any sort of political dialogue." In Gaza, Islamic Jihad leader Khaled al-Batsh said Abbas had agreed at a meeting with militant group leaders Thursday to release the nine prisoners on the condition they would stay in Jericho. "We demanded their release because they were detained in connection to their resistance to the (Israeli) occupation. They should not be in jail for this," said Batsh.