Mon 30 – May Palestine International Press Center (IPC)
PNA Discounts the Release of 400 Prisoners as "Politically Worthless"
http://www.ipc.gov.ps/ipc_new/english/details.asp?name=5025


GAZA, Palestine, May30,32005 (IPC+AL Ayam)---The Israeli cabinet
approved Sunday the release of 400 Palestinian, deputy and member of the
Israeli Palestinian joint committee over the prisoners Hisham Abed AL
Razeq told Al Ayam newspaper that the step "is unilateral and
politically meaningless by a ploy show by Sharon to flirt with the USA."



The Israeli government is set Sunday to approve the release of 400
Palestinian prisoners in the framework of the Sharm al-Sheikh
Sharon-Abbas agreement made in February.

According to Israeli media sources, the release criteria would allow
releasing prisoners who have not served two-thirds of their sentence,
but won't include any prisoners, described by Israeli security as "with
blood on their hands", mostly were members of Fateh and relatively small
number of the Islamic factions

Most of the then released prisoners were either administrative detainees
(held behind bars without proper legal procedures) or prisoners who have
almost completed their sentence terms.

The agreement for the release of 900 Palestinian detainees was reached
in the Sharm el-Sheikh summit in February.
Since February, Israel has frozen the process of releasing the remaining
400 prisoners, and later on the process of handing over West Bank cities
to PA security authority.

The deputy Abed Al Razeq dismissed the 400 prisoners release saying "the
Israeli decision to release 900 prisoners was taken unilaterally, by
Sharon; they released 500 prisoners unilaterally, and now decided the
release the remaining after Israel put off their release … Sharon used
such a conduct to show the United State he has taken steps to bolstering
Abu Mazen."

He added that Israel had slammed the Palestinian demand to release the
prisoners arrested before May 1994.

"The release of those prisoners gives consent in the Palestinian street
and the national authority and the all political streams that the
political process is positively going a head but the massages sent out
by Sharon asserted he is not interested either to boost the status of
Abu Mazen or to enhancing the political process in the entire region,
"Abed Al Razeq interviewed with Al yam news paper.

Abed al Razeq noted also that the Israelis said that they could not a
roll of the prisoner who served two-third of the sentences term , one of
the criteria they set by themselves so they make a list of prisoners who
have not yet two third of heir sentences."

The vote on releasing the 400 prisoners passed with 18 Israeli ministers
in favor, three against. They are Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,
Health Minister Danny Naveh and Agriculture Minister Yisrael Katz.