Middle East: Israel's cabinet yesterday agreed to release an initial group of 500 Palestinian prisoners as part of measures to boost the Palestinian president, Mr Mahmoud Abbas, after he secured agreement from militant factions at the weekend to continue a de facto truce.
Israel last night also agreed to hand over the remains of 15 Palestinian militants as part of a good-will gesture.
Israel and the Palestinian Authority last week announced a mutual ceasefire after more than four years of conflict.
Israel said further moves to ease the situation in the occupied territories, such as military withdrawals from West Bank cities, is contingent on the Palestinian Authority stopping violence.
Both Hamas and Islamic Jihad said at the weekend they would maintain the relative calm of recent weeks while they consider a lasting ceasefire. They also said they would not retaliate against Israeli military operations before consulting with the Palestinian Authority.
Israel said 500 prisoners may be released by Wednesday, and a further 400 in the coming weeks. The first group would not include those who had "blood on their hands", although an Israeli-Palestinian committee will consider if those involved in attacks on Israelis might be released later.
Israel is also expected to hand over control of the West Bank city of Jericho this week, to be followed by other towns in the next few weeks.
In addition, it said it had agreed to the repatriation to the West Bank of Palestinian militants expelled to the Gaza Strip and Europe. Some 39 were exiled after a month-long siege of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem in 2002.
Medics from Israel's Magen David Adom emergency medical service said that with the Israeli army and the health ministries of both sides, Israel would hand over the bodies of the 15 Palestinians at the Erez border crossing in Gaza today.
Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a Hamas leader in the West Bank, said a full truce could be declared only when the Israeli occupation had ended and Palestinians received their full rights. "This is a temporary lull where we pledged to not take the initiative with any attacks against the occupation, and we reserve the right to retaliate if the enemy carries out any aggression, after consulting with the PA," he said.
Mr Qadura Fares, a Palestinian minister, said that if Israel was to refrain from assassinations and other operations, Mr Abbas would be able to reassert the government's authority and eventually to collect illegal weapons while Hamas participated more fully in mainstream Palestinian politics.
"As Abu Mazen [ Mr Abbas] achieves more success in making Israel pull out, remove checkpoints and release prisoners, it will be impossible for Hamas to start shooting again," he said.
"And as time gets closer to the [Palestinian Legislative Committee] elections in July this year, Hamas will participate and therefore Hamas will want a quiet period." - (Financial Times Service, Reuters)