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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Israel to free Palestinian prisoners to Abbas |
| 2008-08-09 |
| Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert agreed on Wednesday to the release of 120 to 150 Palestinian prisoners later this month as a gesture to President Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian officials said. The meeting between the two leaders was the first since Olmert, dogged by a corruption scandal, threw U.S.-sponsored peace talks into turmoil by announcing that he would resign as prime minister once his centrist Kadima party chooses a new leader in September. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Abbas wanted the prisoner release, slated for August 25, to include long-serving inmates, women and children as well as political leaders, a reference to uprising leader Marwan Barghouthi, who is seen as a possible successor as president. Israel declined to say how many of the 11,000 or so Palestinians in its custody would be released. Erekat said Israel agreed to release 120 to 150, and possibly more. "In response to a request by Abu Mazen (Abbas),... the Israeli side will be releasing Palestinian prisoners towards the end of August as a sign of good faith and a confidence-building measure towards the Palestinians," Olmert's spokesman, Mark Regev, said after the meeting at the prime minister's residence. Israeli sources said releasing Barghouthi was an option but stressed that no decisions had been made. The Hamas Islamist group, which controls the Gaza Strip, included Barghouthi, Hamas leaders and hundreds of other prisoners on its list of Palestinians it wants freed in exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, captured by Gaza militants in a cross-border raid two years ago. Some Israeli officials see the release of Barghouthi to Abbas as preferable to freeing him to Hamas as part of a deal over Shalit that Egypt is trying to help broker. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 Make sure Olmert accompanies them in person, and there's at least two suicide bombers (complete with bomb belts) in the group. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2008-08-09 22:45 |
| #1 Send the honorourable President Abbas Gazans. They do so well in the West Bank. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2008-08-09 10:06 |