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Last update - 17:45 19/08/2008
Shin Bet: Release of Palestinian prisoners puts pressure on Hamas
By Barak Ravid and Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondents and Reuters
Tags: Gilad Shalit, Yuval Diskin 

Israel's release of 199 Palestinian prisoners as a gesture of goodwill to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas "creates pressure on Hamas and is likely to accelerate the negotiations over Gilad Shalit," Shin Bet security service chief Yuval Diskin told the cabinet on Monday.

However, he added, "the gesture will not make Hamas more flexible about its demands, because the organization sees that Israel is releasing prisoners with blood on their hands, which merely causes Hamas to harden its position."

Diskin's assessment was presented ahead of the cabinet's vote on the prisoner release, which includes two prisoners convicted of murdering Israelis - both of whom have already spent nearly 30 years in jail - plus 197 convicted of lesser offenses, including attempted murder. The prisoners will be released next week, apparently on the day U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrives.
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According to a government source, Shin Bet representatives spoke in favor of the move, on the grounds that it would pressure Hamas to conclude a deal for the return of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit.

"Hamas is looking despairingly at how, despite the fact that it holds Shalit, it is not succeeding in bringing about a prisoner release, while Abu Mazen [Abbas], who is conducting negotiations with Israel, is securing a prisoner release," the official said. "It's enough to see Hamas' response to the government's decision to understand the pressure the organization is under."

The cabinet held three separate votes on the prisoner issue. The release of the two prisoners with "blood on their hands" was approved by all the ministers except Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz and Public Security Minister Avi Dichter, and all but Mofaz approved the release of the other 197. These include 26 people who were sentenced to terms of 10 to 16 years for attempted murder - i.e., shooting attacks or bombings - as well as many convicted of lesser offenses, such as aiding more senior terrorists, illegal weapons possession or membership in a terrorist organization.

The third vote, held at Dichter's request, related to an additional prisoner, the only one on the original list of names to come from Gaza. Dichter argued that no Gazans should be released until Shalit is freed, and the other ministers accepted this position, voting to strike him from the list.

The two convicted murderers to be released are Mohammed Abu Ali-Yata and Sayed al-Ataba. Abu Ali-Yata, who serves as a lawmaker from Abbas' Fatah party, has been incarcerated since 1980 for killing an Israeli settler in the West Bank. He was later sentenced to a second life term for killing a Palestinian in jail whom he accused of collaborating with Israel. Al-Ataba, the longest-serving prisoner held by Israel, is widely viewed by Palestinians as a symbol of the prisoners. He was convicted in the late 1970s of planting bombs in open-air markets in Petah Tikva and Tel Aviv, as well as on buses.

About half of the prisoners on the release list were to have completed their sentences next year, but 43 had at least five more years to serve. Four of the detainees are women. None belong to Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and all were assessed by the Shin Bet as being unlikely to resume terrorist activity.

During the cabinet debate, an argument erupted between Mofaz and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Mofaz charged that, "A prisoner release is not interpreted as a gesture, but as weakness." Israel, he added, has released hundreds of prisoners in recent months, "but Abu Mazen's situation hasn't changed." Thus instead of more such gestures, he said, Israel should focus on bringing Shalit home.

Olmert retorted that, "Releasing prisoners as a gesture does not attest to weakness, but to strength." He added: "Prisoner exchange deals attest to weakness far more than does a move made in a manner and at a time convenient to us, with the goal of strengthening moderate elements in the Palestinian Authority."

Abbas had repeatedly requested a prisoner release, saying that by releasing prisoners to Hezbollah last month in exchange for the bodies of two kidnapped soldiers, and planning to release more to Hamas in exchange for Shalit, all the while refusing to release prisoners to him, Israel was dealing a death blow to those in the PA who favor dialogue with it.

Ahmed Abdel Rahman, a spokesman for Abbas, said the inclusion of long-serving prisoners in the current release would bolster the president's credibility with the public.

The timing of the current release was chosen in the hopes that it would be long enough after the swap with Hezbollah and long enough before the expected swap with Hamas to dispel any thoughts that it was connected to either, and make it clear that this was Abbas' achievement.
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  1.   You`ve got to be kidding..... 04:07  |  bill Pearlman 19/08/08
  2.   yes, this will bring Shalit home 06:48  |  David K 19/08/08
  3.   Israel Must Play Chess Not checkers 06:56  |  US CITIZEN 19/08/08
  4.   Hamas under pressure? You`re kidding..... 07:22  |  Natasha 19/08/08
  5.   And in the middle of it all... 08:45  |  Esther 19/08/08
  6.   It doesn`t matter what we think. 10:57  |  Paul 19/08/08
  7.   it`s naive to think this move "doesn`t" hurt hamas 11:01  |  eric 19/08/08
  8.   Like an ostrich with head in sand, Shin Bet fools only itself 11:47  |  Natallie Durson 19/08/08
  9.   Maintaing the "eternal Victim Status" is job one in Israel 13:01  |  Labhras 19/08/08
  10.   Hamas under pressure 13:14  |  Hassa 19/08/08
  11.   yes, we must free 200 murderers to weaken other murderers 13:45  |  Israeli Leftist 19/08/08
  12.   If Hamas, why not Hizbullah? 14:24  |  Logician 19/08/08
  13.   Prisoners 14:43  |  Dani 19/08/08
  14.   Maintaining the Pals misery is job one for Labhras 15:07  |  ZISD 19/08/08
  15.   Terrorists murder should be sentenced to death. 15:30  |  Jean Van Daem 19/08/08
  16.   Natasha #4 (second revised try) 15:41  |  S 19/08/08
  17.   Israel`s Immoral Government Seek to INCREASE MURDER & Terror 16:06  |  Linda Rivera 19/08/08
  18.   If 200 put pressure on Hamas ... 17:36  |  Bernie 19/08/08
  19.   Gilad will be freed now. 18:03  |  Fortuna Benmayor 19/08/08
  20.   A gift for Condoleeza 18:27  |  Chaim R-B 19/08/08
  21.   ZISD --lets see what stands for 19:10  |  Labhras 19/08/08
  22.   there ought to be a law 21:34  |  Kass, Sam 19/08/08
  23.   Eric, Re negative effect on Hamas 22:09  |  Dutch 19/08/08
  24.   Natalie Durson`s "banana state" 03:06  |  Avrum 21/08/08
  25.   # 23 to dutch re: hamas (2nd try) 12:08  |  eric 21/08/08
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