JERUSALEM - Israel will free 500 Palestinians on Monday in its largest prison release in nearly a decade as a goodwill gesture to bolster peace efforts with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Further strengthening Abbas's hand, legislators from the dominant Fatah movement approved a keenly awaited new Palestinian cabinet that puts his loyalists in key positions.Palestinians say Abbas needs large-scale prisoner releases to get the armed groups to formalise the ceasefire he agreed with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at a Feb. 8 summit. Some 8,000 Palestinians are held by Israel. The planned freeing of the prisoners comes a day after Israel's cabinet approved a plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip.
None of the prisoners—the first of 900 to be freed in coming weeks—had been found guilty of attacks that killed or injured Israelis. Most had already served at least two-thirds of their sentences. They will be released at crossing points to the West Bank and Gaza in the biggest release since 1996, when 800 were freed.
Mohammed Dahlan, a close Abbas adviser set to join the cabinet, said Palestinians awaited a wider release. Palestinians want those who carried out attacks on Israelis to be included in future releases. Israel has so far ruled out freeing prisoners with "blood on their hands".
| Big mistake to let this group go, but the Israelis will prolly cave in over the next month or so. Then some more Israelis will die, and the Paleos will get thumped again. |