ISRAEL RELEASED 224 Palestinian prisoners yesterday in an effort to boost the standing of moderate Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, but it is doubtful the gesture will have a significant impact, bearing in mind that some 10,000 Palestinians remain in Israeli jails.
Most of the detainees set free belonged to Fatah, the movement headed by Mr Abbas, but a small number were affiliated with other non-Islamic groups. Before being released, each prisoner signed a document pledging not to engage in terrorist activity.
Of the released men, 206 were taken to a checkpoint between Israel and the West Bank, and from there they travelled to Ramallah. The other 18, residents of the Gaza Strip, were dropped off at a military crossing into Gaza.
Mr Abbas greeted the released West Bank prisoners at a special ceremony at the Palestinian Authority headquarters in Ramallah, where more than 1,000 jubilant relatives and friends welcomed the men home, waving Palestinian and yellow Fatah flags.
Estimates of the number of Palestinian prisoners held vary between 8,000 and 11,000. The issue remains emotive for the Palestinian population, with almost all extended families having at least one relative held by Israel.
Mr Abbas welcomed the released prisoners in Ramallah with a handshake and a kiss on the cheek, and promised to keep up the struggle on behalf of those still in jail. “Our happiness will not be complete until all of the 11,000 prisoners are freed,” he said. “We promise you we will work to free all prisoners from all factions.”
Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert, expressed the hope that the move will boost the moderate Palestinian camp. “We hope these releases will be seen as an important confidence-building measure designed to strengthen trust and confidence in the peace negotiations.”
The right-wing Likud party criticised the release, accusing the government of again exhibiting a lack of leadership in continuing the failed policy of releasing hundreds of prisoners while kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit remains in Palestinian captivity. Hamas has held him in Gaza for more than 900 days, as talks continue on a prisoner swap that would see him set free in return for hundreds of Palestinian detainees.
British prime minister Gordon Brown urged US president-elect Barack Obama to prioritise Middle East peace efforts. Speaking after meeting his Palestinian counterpart Salam Fayyad in London, Mr Brown noted that the 22-member Arab League has called on the new American president to make clinching a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians a top priority.
“We are very much of the same view,” he said. “We are working hard to ensure that progress is possible during 2009.” Mr Brown will host Mr Olmert for talks today.
Mr Fayyad rejected the proposal by Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who leads in the polls ahead of Israel’s February election, to put economic development ahead of diplomatic negotiations. He stressed that a political conflict requires a political solution.
Israel expelled UN human rights envoy Richard Falk a day after he arrived.
The Israeli foreign ministry cited “the highly politicised views of the envoy in legitimising Hamas terrorism and drawing shameful comparisons to the Holocaust.”
Mr Falk last year compared Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians with Nazi persecution of the Jews. Last week, he referred to the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip as “a crime against humanity”.