Israel releases prisoners in overdue gesture

ISRAEL’S Cabinet yesterday approved the release of 400 Palestinian prisoners, a long-overdue gesture Israel had agreed to as part of a Mideast truce package.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told the Cabinet that the prisoner release would strengthen Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and “the moderate forces in the Palestinian Authority.” Sharon’s appeal meshed with recent US efforts to shore up Abbas in the face of severe challenges from Palestinian militants.

The ministers voted 18-3 to approve the release. A ministerial panel will now meet to compile a list of those eligible to be freed. No one directly involved in deadly attacks on Israelis would be released, but Israel might be more flexible than in the past and free prisoners who haven’t completed two-thirds of their terms, a government official said.

The Palestinians want Israel to consult them on which prisoners to release.

“This is not enough,” Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said. He also asked that Israel resume handing over West Bank cities to Palestinian control immediately, as it pledged to do as part of the February truce package.

The issue has been a source of friction between the two sides. More than 7,000 Palestinians are in Israeli custody, many rounded up by troops during more than four years of Israeli-Palestinian fighting.

Sharon’s gesture coincided with Abbas’ visit to the US, where President Bush sought to strengthen the Palestinian leader by not demanding publicly that he crack down on militants.

Abbas has been reluctant to confront armed Palestinian factions, for fear of touching off a civil war. His ruling Fatah party also faces a serious electoral challenge from Hamas militants, who appear headed to make a strong showing in Palestinian legislative elections, scheduled for July 17.

According reports Bush promised Abbas that the US would pressure Israel to dismantle all illegal outposts in the West Bank immediately, if the Palestinians were to disarm wanted men.

Abbas replied that he couldn’t disarm militants unless Israel dropped its objection to supplying more arms to Palestinian security forces. Israel says Abbas is not using the means already at his disposal to confront militants.

Israeli media reported over the weekend that Bush was also showing greater involvement in the Mideast by expanding the role of the US security envoy in the region, William Ward, to include coordinating Israel’s summer pull-out from the Gaza Strip with the Palestinians.

A White House spokesperson said he could not confirm the reports. Fred Jones, spokesman for the National Security Council, said Ward’s mandate “includes promoting Palestinian-Israeli security cooperation.”

Palestinians said they have already discussed their plans for the pull-out at length with Ward.