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Last update - 01:52 18/08/2008
Palestinian PM: Israel should free more than just 200 prisoners
By Barak Ravid and Shahar Ilan, Haaretz Correspondents, and Haaretz Service
Tags: Ehud Barak, Israel 

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on Sunday welcomed Israel's decision to release close to 200 Palestinian prisoners as a gesture to the Palestinian Authority, but said Israel should release even larger numbers of prisoners.

The cabinet approved the release of the Palestinian prisoners, including two prisoners "with blood on their hands," meaning they were directly involved in the killing of Israelis, during the weekly cabinet meeting Sunday morning.

"We welcome the release of any Palestinian prisoner. It is considered a victory for Palestinians," he told The Associated Press during a tour of the northern village of Tubas. "We ask Israel to change its conditions for releasing prisoners and we ask for the release of all prisoners without exception."
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One of the Palestinians expected to be freed is said to have dispatched terrorists to carry out an attack while another attempted to carry out an attack of his own.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, an aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, called the move "a step in the right direction" as Israel and the Palestinians pursue a statehood deal by January in U.S.-sponsored talks, but said "thousands, not hundreds" of prisoners should be set free.

A spokesman for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the cabinet voted to release the prisoners as a confidence-building measure aimed at bolstering Israeli-Palestinian dialogue and strengthening moderates.

A government official said the release would be carried out around August 25, before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, the leading Kadima candidate to succeed Olmert, said the release demonstrated to the Palestinians that dialogue, not violence, achieved the best results.

Ministers on the right, however, attacked the decision as a deterrent in the ongoing negotiations to release abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, who was seized by Gaza militants in June 2006 and has been held there since.

"The cabinet decision is additional proof that the Kadima-Labor government is subverting ethical and security norms," said opposition leader and Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu.

"Instead of taking a position of attacking terror, the government is freeing terrorists with blood on their hands, in exchange for nothing, while Gilad Shalit continues to rot in jail. The inevitable result is that terror organizations will understand that they can send more terrorists to carry out more attacks in Israel - and they'll know that one day, they too will be freed," Netanyahu added.

A release list has not been finalized but would include long-serving inmates, women and children, and two prisoners involved in attacks on Israelis before the 1993 Oslo peace deal, the official said.

From the Gaza Strip, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri called for prisoners from his group to be included in the release. He said freeing only those from Abbas's Fatah faction would be "an attempt to strengthen Palestinian internal divisions."

Palestinian officials said Abbas had requested that the group include Said Atabeh, a member of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine jailed in 1977 and the longest-serving Palestinian prisoner in Israel.

Israel released 429 Palestinians as a gesture to Abbas after the resumption of peace negotiations in November at a conference in Annapolis, Maryland.

Months of meetings, closely shepherded by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, have produced little visible progress on key issues such as control of Jerusalem and the future of millions of Palestinian refugees.

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      1.   Stop the hypocrasy 12:22  |  Eini 17/08/08
      2.   release of 200 Palestinian prisoners 12:24  |  Ralph 17/08/08
      3.   Over five million Arabs 12:38  |  Jackie 17/08/08
      4.   Israelis think they`re so smart,but are outwitted by primitive 13:05  |  Absolute Sweden 17/08/08
      5.   not noted 13:31  |  potobac 17/08/08
      6.   Excellent, essential opening of the peace proccess 13:37  |  Ivar 17/08/08
      7.   Operation Ridwan 13:38  |  Lebnani 17/08/08
      8.   200 thugs released for what 13:51  |  Brod 17/08/08
      9.   Step 1 of Olmert`s planned exit 14:30  |  Aphemia 17/08/08
      10.   Whatever happened to "We will not deal w/ terrorists? 14:35  |  petra 17/08/08
      11.   Free them to Allah Now! 14:35  |  Avi 17/08/08
      12.   A Gesture to Click and Natallie 14:43  |  François 17/08/08
      13.   PALESTINIAN CHILDREN IN ISRAELI JAILS TOO?! 14:43  |  Historian 17/08/08
      14.   to ivar #6 14:54  |  jeremy 17/08/08
      15.   Brod: If Palestinians are "thugs" for fighting for their freedom, 14:54  |  Scent 17/08/08
      16.   Why should soldiers risk their lives? 14:54  |  fred 17/08/08
      17.   Lebanie Lebanon 14:55  |  pamela 17/08/08
      18.   Hostages-for-terrorists swaps endanger Israeli citizens. 14:56  |  Jean Van Daem 17/08/08
      19.   LIVNI THE DEFEATIST RELEASES MORE TERRORIST BABY KILLERS 15:09  |  Yossi 17/08/08
      20.   Jackie - how silly you are....! 15:14  |  Palestinian Brit 17/08/08
      21.   No blood on their hands... 15:20  |  Palestinian Brit 17/08/08
      22.   Scent #15 15:25  |  Brod 17/08/08
      23.   #20... 15:25  |  James 17/08/08
      24.   Olmert MUST get off that Chair....... 15:27  |  The Threadmill 17/08/08
      25.   Yes, More Loose Terrorists Please 15:28  |  Israeli Leftist 17/08/08
      26.   Olmert,Barak, Livni,Kadima and Labor are failures in Government 15:30  |  Dish It Out 17/08/08
      27.   Any step Releasing Palestinian Prisoners 15:38  |  Jeremy Kohn 17/08/08
      28.   Thought to have "blood on their hands."? 15:39  |  Natallie Durson 17/08/08
      29.   The IDF should go `on Strike` while Olmert srays in Offce 15:41  |  charlie 17/08/08
      30.   Good, now release the other 9000 hostages 15:46  |  Palestinian in UK 17/08/08
      31.   Why? 15:47  |  Ros 17/08/08
      32.   Reply to Brod (Post No. 6) 16:02  |  Johnny Weintraub 17/08/08
      33.   Pamela 16:08  |  Palestinian Brit 17/08/08
      34.   #17 Pamela 16:12  |  Lebnani 17/08/08
      35.   To Palestinian in UK # 30 - Those poor children 17:07  |  Dagma 17/08/08
      36.   WHEN TO HOLD, WHEN TO FOLD 17:09  |  Barry S Roffman 17/08/08
      37.   Don`t approve 17:23  |  steve myzzie 17/08/08
      38.   PALESTINIAN CHILDREN IN PRISON 17:36  |  tristan 17/08/08
      39.   #15 scent. As in smell? 17:39  |  John Allen 17/08/08
      40.   To Palestinian Brit # 33 - No Palestine ??? 17:44  |  Dolly 17/08/08
      41.   #33 Hey brit, where were you educated? 17:47  |  John Allen 17/08/08
      42.   Could someone remind me what Israel gets in return? 17:51  |  Kenny 17/08/08
      43.   #34 Lebabini 17:54  |  John Allen 17/08/08
      44.   "Blood on their hands...?" 18:03  |  Esther 17/08/08
      45.   To Dish It Out # 26 - Well said. 18:04  |  Onlooker 17/08/08
      46.   Olmert Is An Ameture 18:11  |  Ron 17/08/08
      47.   Hello Kenny#42 I`m not really surprised. 18:13  |  Sarah 17/08/08
      48.   INSANITY !!!!!!!!!!!!!! 18:16  |  Wise Saba 17/08/08
      49.   Prisonner release, israel style 18:17  |  Pete 17/08/08
      50.   Historian - Oh. Come on. 18:24  |  Elihu 17/08/08
      51.   Olmert the day of your trial will come 18:44  |  Sunny Brakats 17/08/08
      52.   No islamofascist terror attack goes by without a thanks 19:01  |  Arie 17/08/08
      53.   Israel and the Russians 19:37  |  Edifice 17/08/08
      54.   the term 19:50  |  rm 17/08/08
      55.   Support Abbas 19:52  |  Ralph 17/08/08
      56.   Goodwill Gestures to KILLERS with BLOOD on their hands 19:58  |  Linda Rivera 17/08/08
      57.   Decision to release Palestinian Prisoners pushes Shalit deal 20:50  |  Dagma 17/08/08
      58.   QUESTION TO ISRAELIS 20:52  |  Jay 17/08/08
      59.   Didn`t we just read about terrorists that were released 20:56  |  * BEN JABO 17/08/08
      60.   #5 poptobac - what you fail to mention 20:59  |  * BEN JABO 17/08/08
      61.   #6 Ivar - Estonia 21:01  |  * BEN JABO 17/08/08
      62.   Killers with blood on their hands....????? 21:06  |  Don Camillo 17/08/08
      63.   PRISONER RELEASE NOT HELPFUL SAYS NATANYAHU 21:10  |  Dolly 17/08/08
      64.   How typical.... 21:14  |  Linichka 17/08/08
      65.   Whatever you give them, they ask for more, never to return any 21:27  |  Yokhi 17/08/08
      66.   Kenny,#42,the answer has to do with Fatah/Hamas balance of power 21:28  |  Voice of Reason 17/08/08
      67.   This is a drop in the bucket....It`s disgraceful 21:38  |  Dutch 17/08/08
      68.   Palestinian Brit - Arik Sharon also 21:42  |  17 17/08/08
      69.   Prisoner Release not helpful says Natanyahu 21:45  |  The Threadmill 17/08/08
      70.   What about the 3 million jews with blood on their hands 21:54  |  James 17/08/08
      71.   To Jay # 58 - Creation of Israel ? 22:17  |  Dagma 17/08/08
      72.   ben jabo 60 22:28  |  potobac 17/08/08
      73.   SURE, WHY NOT LET ALL THE MURDERERS LOOSE 22:29  |  dav zee 17/08/08
      74.   DIDN`T ANYONE LEARN FROM THE LAST TRADE? 22:30  |  dav zee 17/08/08
      75.   Question to Jay, # 58 22:33  |  tristan 17/08/08
      76.   What about the Halamish brothers? 22:35  |  David 17/08/08
      77.   # 58 Jay 22:39  |  17 17/08/08
      78.   We need Moshe Feglien! 22:47  |  David 17/08/08
      79.   Dolly - no Palestine. Not much Israel either. 22:56  |  Palestinian Brit 17/08/08
      80.   To Moderators - An IMPORTQNT ANSWER TO JAY # 58 23:03  |  Dagma 17/08/08
      81.   To Palestinian Brit # 70 - Hope you had a good time 23:24  |  Dolly 17/08/08
      82.   To Wise Saba # 48 - Blame it on Olmert .... 23:40  |  Natasha 17/08/08
      83.   Free Gilad Shalit 23:48  |  x-ray 17/08/08
      84.   THEN, FREE GILAD SHALIT ! 00:02  |  tristan 18/08/08
      85.   You give a hand they want the arm.. 00:14  |  ScotGuy 18/08/08
      86.   The picture says it all 00:39  |  Arie 18/08/08
      87.   TO Dagma #71 01:19  |  Jay 18/08/08
      88.   Olmert has already forged his legacy. 01:29  |  Claudia 18/08/08
      89.   Reply to Don Camillo (Post No. 62) 02:03  |  Johnny Weintraub 18/08/08
      90.   # 87 Jay - Forget the ancient Kinngdoms 02:11  |  17 18/08/08
      91.   10 Thousand Palestinian prisoners, many women and children... 02:37  |  Maureen Ann 18/08/08
      92.   to 17 from nyc post #90 03:53  |  Jay 18/08/08
      93.   # 92 Jay - Please read again my prior post 04:50  |  17 18/08/08
      94.   Freeing more prisioners....crazy.... 06:32  |  Connie 18/08/08
      95.   Can`t we just thoughtlessly capitulate? 07:00  |  Jewish VoiceforPeace 18/08/08
      96.   Israel: Palestinians should shave their heads BALD! 07:16  |  The Archives 18/08/08
      97.   Goodwill Amnesty not a sign of weakness. 07:31  |  The Archives 18/08/08
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