Hundreds of Palestinians to be released
The release faced stiff resistance among cabinet ministers with many Israelis opposed to freeing Palestinians they believe were involved in violence or killings of Israelis.
The measure only passed after the cabinet agreed to establish a committee for monitoring Palestinian compliance with the road map peace plan aimed at halting violence, tourism minister Benny Elon said.
It was not immediately clear if Israel would halt the releases if that committee decided that the Palestinians were not in compliance. Palestinian officials had no immediate comment on the cabinet decision.
Securing the freedom of prisoners is a top priority of Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, and a large-scale release would help ease pressure on him as he takes steps toward cracking down against Palestinian militants.
Israel holds around 5,000 Palestinian prisoners and the release is only a small step toward meeting Palestinian demands of a mass release.
The release is extremely controversial in Israel. The ministers deadlocked at first 10 to 10 and the measure only passed by a 13-9 vote after the cabinet agreed to set up the monitoring committee, Mr Elon said. Earlier yesterday,
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon met with the head of the Shin Bet security agency Avi Dichter, who presented a list of several hundred prisoners who could be released early.
The Shin Bet has said that militants who were involved in attacks on Israelis, members of the militant Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups and prisoners who are perceived as an "immediate threat" will not be released, Justice Minister Yosef Lapid told Israel Radio yesterday, before the vote.
Mr Lapid said, however, that Palestinians who were responsible for killing Israelis and have already served long sentences could now be freed.
"There could be a consideration for releasing a person who has served 20 to 25 years," Mr Lapid said. "Because if someone was given a life sentence according to Israeli law, then he could be released anyway."
A prisoner release is a key demand of militant Palestinian groups for the continuation of the ceasefire that went into force last week.
On Saturday, Israel's attorney general Elyakim Rubinstein sent a letter to Mr Sharon urging him to publish the names of prisoners at least 48 hours prior to their release.
Mr Rubenstein argued that the relatives of victims killed in Palestinian attacks should have the right to appeal to the Supreme Court.
In Gaza City, some 1,200 people, mostly relatives of detainees, marched through the city carrying pictures of family members in Israeli jails and chanting "No peace without the release of all detainees".
Nafez Azzam, an Islamic Jihad spokesman who was at the demonstration, warned that the ceasefire would be in jeopardy unless the prisoners were freed.
"Holding the Palestinian detainees behind bars will leave no hope for the continuation of any peace efforts," Azzam said.
Israel last week pulled troops out of the northern Gaza Strip and the West Bank city of Bethlehem, handing control over to Palestinian forces.
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