Subscribe to Print Edition | Mon., September 08, 2008 Elul 8, 5768 | | Israel Time: 08:23 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
  Back to Homepage
Haaretz Toolbar
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Car Rental
Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File
Comments:  93
Last update - 02:26 26/08/2008
Abbas: No peace until all Palestinian prisoners released
By Jonathan Lis, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaretz Service and Reuters
Tags: Mahmoud Abbas, Israel 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas asserted on Monday that there would not be peace with Israel until all Palestinian prisoners were freed, speaking shortly after Israel released 199 jailed Palestinians.

"There is no doubt that we seek peace and we are trying to seek our goals - and there won't be peace without the release of all prisoners," Abbas said during a welcome ceremony at the Palestinian Authority Muqata compound in the West Bank town of Ramallah.

Cheering crowds waved Palestinian flags and danced in the street to welcome the prisoners, who were freed by Israel as a gesture of good will to the Palestinian President.
Advertisement
Abbas mentioned Marwan Barghouti, a West Bank leader of his Fatah movement, who is serving five consecutive life terms in an Israeli prison but is widely seen as a future Palestinian president.

Abbas also singled out Ahmed Saadat, jailed leader of small radical faction suspected in the 2001 assassination of an Israeli Cabinet minister and the imprisoned Palestinian parliament speaker Aziz Duaik of Fatah's rival, the radical Islamic Hamas movement.

"He is our brother and we must struggle to free all prisoners," Abbas said.

Earlier in the day, the Israel Prison Service took the prisoners from Ofer Prison, close to Jerusalem, to the Beituniya checkpoint near Ramallah.

Mark Regev, a spokesman for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, said of the release: "It's not easy to release prisoners, especially prisoners that were involved directly in terrorist acts against innocent civilians."

The government said in a statement it released on Monday: "Through this latest confidence-building measure - which addresses an issue of critical significance for the Palestinians - Israel seeks to intensify its continued dialogue with partners who are both committed to diplomacy and
opposed to terrorism.

"The release further underscores Israel's willingness to make painful concessions for the sake of advancing peace negotiations."

Likud MK: Release of prisoners is stupid and contemptible

Likud MK Gilad Erdan on Monday blasted the move as a stupid and contemptible act, saying that "killers of Israel" were being released by a failed government as a present to a weak.

Al-Atba, 57, was the longest serving inmate held by Israel and he is widely seen by the Palestinian public as a symbol of all the prisoners. Balding, with a mustache, he made a victory sign toward cameras at the checkpoint as two Palestinian officials escorted him to a car. Others rushed to greet him, kissing him on both cheeks.

His brother Hisham traveled to Beituniya from Saudi Arabia, where he works, to join the hundreds of Palestinians waiting to greet the prisoners. "I feel great, great joy," he said. "We had lost hope that my brother would be released because he's been in prison for 32 years."

Al-Atba's sister, Raida, said she had prepared her brother's favorite food, stuffed vine leaves and zucchini.

In Ramallah, where the prisoners were scheduled to receive an official welcome from Abbas, hundreds of Palestinians from all over the West Bank waited to greet them, under a giant poster with pictures of Abbas, al-Atba and another veteran prisoner being freed, Mohammed Abu Ali, a lawmaker from Abbas' Fatah party.

Abu Ali was jailed in 1980 for killing an Israeli in the West Bank and later convicted of killing a Palestinian in jail he accused of collaborating with Israel.

The state responded Sunday to appeals against the prisoner release by saying that only the cabinet has the authority to revoke such a decision.

Last week the cabinet voted in favor of the release, which includes two prisoners convicted of murdering Israelis - both of whom have served nearly 30 years of their sentence - plus 197 convicted of lesser crimes, including attempted murder.

Also Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in the region for talks on the peace process.

Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin said last week that the release of the prisoners "creates pressure on Hamas and is likely to accelerate the negotiations over [captive soldier] Gilad Shalit."

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 ministers except Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz and Public Security Minister Avi Dichter; all but Mofaz approved the release of the other 197.

These include 26 people sentenced to terms of 10 to 16 years for attempted murder - i.e., shooting attacks or bombings - as well as many convicted of lesser crimes, 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 freeing another prisoner - the only one on the original list of names who comes 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.


Related articles:
  • Israel to free more than 150 Palestinian prisoners as gesture to Abbas
  • Shin Bet: Release of Palestinian prisoners puts pressure on Hamas
  • Abbas vows to dismantle PA if Israel frees Hamas prisoners for Shalit
    • Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
    Interfaith grandchildren
    A new group is helping U.S. seniors teach their interfaith grandkids Jewish traditions.
    Iranian war games
    Iran army to hold three-day drill amid speculation over Israeli strike.
      1.   LOOK in better condition then Sgts Regev and Goldwasser!! 10:12  |  PETER SM 25/08/08
      2.   Will Israel be seeing a gesture of good will in return? 10:16  |  David G 25/08/08
      3.   olmerde go home right now 11:20  |  BOB KING 25/08/08
      4.   Israel releases 199 jailed Palestinians 11:24  |  Ralph 25/08/08
      5.   "Gesture to Abbas?" 11:52  |  JordanisPalestine 25/08/08
      6.   A gesture??????? 12:34  |  Northern Resident 25/08/08
      7.   It is very important to remember: These people were active in the 12:35  |  Nadav 25/08/08
      8.   THEN no peace until--- ?.Where does it end? 13:55  |  PETER SM 25/08/08
      9.   Give Them a Finger and They`ll Demand You give them ALL the Hand 14:05  |  Gil 25/08/08
      10.   Olmert A Prisoner of Conscience and of Illicit dealings 14:27  |  Dolly 25/08/08
      11.   All their excuses are good to delay peace 15:02  |  Daniela 25/08/08
      12.   Abbas: No peace until all Palestinian prisoners released 15:40  |  Harriet 25/08/08
      13.   No peace unless we begin thinking in terms of the Jordanian 15:43  |  Galit 25/08/08
      14.   Abbas` peace crap 16:02  |  Brpd 25/08/08
      15.   All "Palestinian" prisoners released? 16:07  |  JordanisPalestine 25/08/08
      16.   I just don`t understand the Israeli cabinet. 16:11  |  John Allen 25/08/08
      17.   Olmert to Abbas:We will take all demands while we lack leadership 16:54  |  JP 25/08/08
      18.   ... and not a peep about Gilad Schalit... 16:54  |  Henry 25/08/08
      19.   Release muslim prisoners only to Jordan or muslim country 16:55  |  Great White North 25/08/08
      20.   Israel Must Release All Prisoners Ok! 17:02  |  Lar 25/08/08
      21.   The Release of Terrorists Encourages An Other 9/11 17:06  |  Joseph.E 25/08/08
      22.   Only when "every" Jew in Israel sits down in the streets... 17:06  |  bat yam 25/08/08
      23.   Within the context of a future Israeli Jordanian agreement... 17:08  |  Nadav 25/08/08
      24.   The only gesture abbas ever gave Israel 17:13  |  Arie 25/08/08
      25.   #19 Great White north 17:14  |  Daniela 25/08/08
      26.   Sickening talk-backs 17:22  |  Keith T. 25/08/08
      27.   Israel is stupid 17:35  |  lady from USA 25/08/08
      28.   I think Abbas makes sense. 17:37  |  S 25/08/08
      29.   Keith, if you feel sickened by this talkback just go away dear 17:42  |  JP 25/08/08
      30.   Give in to the demands of the devil and - - 17:42  |  Dave schwep 25/08/08
      31.   #26 Keith 17:52  |  Dogpile 25/08/08
      32.   Is goodwill lost on Palestine? 17:55  |  JuJu 25/08/08
      33.   #26 Keith T. 18:02  |  Franco 25/08/08
      34.   Pals will have to jail their own law breakers at some point 18:16  |  Joe Frazier 25/08/08
      35.   Release ALL Palestinian prisoners?? 18:20  |  R 25/08/08
      36.   To Keith T. # 26 - A modest move...... 18:24  |  The Truthful One 25/08/08
      37.   Kadima Is Out of Control,Call the "Dog Whisperer" To Reeducate Ka 18:50  |  Joseph.E 25/08/08
      38.   no peace without the prince of peace 19:02  |  Gregor 25/08/08
      39.   I srael is going soft on terrorism 19:03  |  paula 25/08/08
      40.   #26 Keith T of UK 19:03  |  Lynn 25/08/08
      41.   Abbas calling for recruting the Prisoners for the final battle! 19:06  |  Akram Zekaria 25/08/08
      42.   #21 Joseph E....Kadima should listen 19:07  |  Lynn 25/08/08
      43.   Haaretz 19:17  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 25/08/08
      44.   Abbas`s `peace` unattractive. 19:18  |  CHAIM R-B 25/08/08
      45.   Dave #30 19:22  |  Ds Gus Ted 25/08/08
      46.   prisoner release 19:23  |  Rick 25/08/08
      47.   Keith and those who talk back 19:37  |  Michael 25/08/08
      48.   Ya Abbas, buddy! No peace until complete Palestinian disarmament 19:45  |  Joe Sittizen 25/08/08
      49.   Israel`s Immoral Government Seek to INCREASE MURDER & Terror 19:54  |  Linda Rivera 25/08/08
      50.   Abbas has become a joke--who can take him seriously?? 19:55  |  Voice of Reason 25/08/08
      51.   #2 That`s a good question 20:08  |  Outsider 25/08/08
      52.   very well, release more human bombs 20:09  |  frenz 25/08/08
      53.   The more I read about the Palestinians the more it becomes clear 20:27  |  Robert 25/08/08
      54.   good gesture??? 20:30  |  jhon 25/08/08
      55.   You give a hand... 20:59  |  ScotGuy 25/08/08
      56.   next he will demand US release all al qada terrorists 21:09  |  vik 25/08/08
      57.   Give an inch and they want a mile 21:11  |  Iron Fist 25/08/08
      58.   Typical backwards Arab warmonger 21:22  |  David 25/08/08
      59.   # 42 Lynn : Rice Should Free Pollard as a token change for 21:46  |  Joseph.E 25/08/08
      60.   michael posts from vancouver on a path to peace 22:05  |  sabrahal 25/08/08
      61.   Israel, if you want piece, then 22:14  |  ottomatik 25/08/08
      62.   Robert 53 - the most sensible post on this forum 22:28  |  ChanahS 25/08/08
      63.   Abbas: No peace until all Palestinian prisoners released 22:31  |  martin list, m.d. 25/08/08
      64.   the release 22:37  |  observer 2WILLINGTON 25/08/08
      65.   The Gesture To Abbas should Have been 22:48  |  ROBOCOP 25/08/08
      66.   prisoner release 23:00  |  jose ocaso 25/08/08
      67.   Prisoner Release 23:28  |  Reason