Israel pleases few with prisoner release

Palestinians say that Israel must release much greater numbers of the approximately 6,000 detainees in its jails. Of them, about 785 Palestinians are held in administrative detention, meaning they are held without charges or a trial, says B'Tselem, one of Israel's leading human rights organizations. Among those held in administrative detention, which B'Tselem says is illegal, 161 were to released Wednesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, for his part, is taking on the risk of alienating some of his own right-wing constituents by letting Palestinian prisoners go before their sentences are served. Many Israelis who have lost family members in terrorist attacks are vehemently opposed to releasing prisoners who might go out and resume anti-Israel violence.

Lack of agreement over the scope of the prisoner withdrawal led Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas to pull out of talks which had been set to be held Wednesday with Mr. Sharon. The meeting was to focus on ways to resume discussion of the road map, introduced by President Bush, which proposes to end the violence against Israel and create a Palestinian state by 2005.

All of the prisoners being released had to sign a document promising not to be involved in any further anti-Israel activities. Anyone refusing to sign would not be released, an Israeli army spokesman said. Some of the Palestinians waiting here said some of their incarcerated relatives refused to sign the document, and were therefore turned down for release.

"My brother refused to sign, and for sure, he shouldn't have," said Zeinab Khakhour, who came to receive another relative. "The resistance should continue."

Many of the Palestinians being released expressed ambivalence over their decisions to sign. As Abdel Mageed al-Amer descended from the bus, a group of Arabic television reporters circled around him. He is a spokesman for Hamas, which does not recognize Israel and has vowed to resume operations against Israel in the future. "I feel humiliated that I signed this paper," Mr. Amer says. "I'm still under occupation. For sure, we respect our signatures, but our goals are bigger than all these pledges."

Israeli officials say they cannot understand why the release of prisoners, not specifically outlined in the road map, has raised more ire than enthusiasm. "This is not part of the road map. This is a Israeli gesture and we didn't have to do this," says Daniel Seaman, the director of Israel's Government Press Office.

"We do expect the Palestinians to improve the atmosphere and the general situation. It's a shame that they have to use this moment to raise the level of disappointment, and that they're using this as another way to dampen the spirit and the excitement of moving forward."

The incremental easing of Israeli restrictions on Palestinian territory are just beginning to be felt. Ghenaidi, the Hebron shopkeeper, is willing to give it a chance. "There is a little improvement after the hudna. Instead of six checkpoints between Ramallah and Hebron, now we have three. But "if conditions are not eased further," including the release of more prisoners, "there is a fear the hudna will collapse."

Page: 1 | 2