Release of militants may give key boost to peace plan

ISRAEL may release a few dozen jailed Islamic militants along with several hundred other Palestinian prisoners, a move that could give a critical boost to lagging peace efforts, it was reported yesterday.

Palestinian officials said their Prime Minister, Mahmoud Abbas, would stress the importance of prisoner releases when he meets Israeli premier Ariel Sharon tomorrow.

The release of prisoners is not directly called for in the internationally backed road map for Mideast peace, but it has become the first big sticking point for the plan, which aims to end nearly three years of fighting, settle the generations-old conflict and create a Palestinian state by 2005.

The Palestinians want Israel to release thousands of prisoners, but Israel has so far agreed to free only a few hundred and previously has said it will not consider Hamas or Islamic Jihad militants for release.

A change in that position could ease militants' demands and bolster street support for Mr Abbas, who has been criticised by his own people for not being tough enough in renewed talks with the Israelis.

Among a list of 400 prisoners Israel is considering releasing are as many as 60 from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which have dispatched scores of suicide bombers and gunmen to attack Israelis, the Haaretz newspaper reported. An adviser to Mr Sharon said the government seemed to be moving in that direction, but he stopped short of confirming the report.

"What you see in the press may give an indication of the direction things are taking, but there's nothing definite," said the adviser, Zalman Shoval.

He added that a decision on the prisoner release would likely be made before Mr Sharon visits Washington on July 29.

If Israel does decide to release members of the two main Islamic militant groups, Mr Shoval said, they would be from among those Palestinians held in detention without charge or trial, not those who've been convicted of involvement in terrorist attacks.

Hamas which declared a temporary ceasefire last month along with Islamic Jihad and Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction wants all prisoners freed. The militants have warned their truce will collapse unless Israel complies.

Israel is holding more than 7,700 Palestinians in custody, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. Of those, nearly 1,000 are held without charges or trial.

In the West Bank yesterday, Israeli soldiers used explosives to blow up homes belonging to the families of two Palestinians arrested for allegedly kidnapping an Israeli taxi driver.