Israel backs conditional release of prisoners

Israel’s Cabinet voted today to release groups of Palestinian prisoners – but Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said the release would be conditional on a Palestinian crackdown against militant groups.

Securing the freedom of prisoners is a top priority of Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, and Sharon said the release would strengthen Abbas’ leadership.

The United States has backed Abbas’ administration, which agreed to a ceasefire with Israel last Sunday and has vowed to quash militant groups.

There was no immediate word on the numbers of prisoners who would be released, but earlier today Sharon met with Shin Bet head Avi Dichter, who presented Sharon with a list of several hundred prisoners who could be released early.

Palestinian officials had no immediate comment on the Cabinet decision. Israel holds some 5,000 Palestinian prisoners and the release is only a small and conditional step toward meeting Palestinian demands of a mass release.

The Cabinet also called for the establishment of a committee that would monitor Palestinian compliance with the US-backed “road map” peace plan aimed at halting violence, Tourism Minister Benny Elon said. The release will also be according to guidelines set by the Shin Bet security agency.

“The releases will be carried out in small numbers and will be conditioned on proof that the Palestinians are living up to their security commitments,” Sharon said after the Cabinet meeting. “If there is no Palestinian Authority determination to fight against terror and stop terror the releases will stop.”

The release is controversial in Israel, where the mass arrests of militants are credited with helping diminish terror attacks. 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, Elon said.

According to the government decision, militants who were involved in attacks on Israelis and members of the militant Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups will not be part of the release.

A prisoner release is a key demand of militant Palestinian groups for the continuation of the ceasefire that went into force last Sunday.

In Gaza City, about 1,200 people, mostly relatives of detainees, marched through the city on Sunday, 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 cease-fire 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.

Also today, Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz met with Palestinian security chief Mohammed Dahlan to discuss a prisoner release and Palestinian demands for further withdrawals from Palestinian areas.

Israel last week pulled its troops out of the northern Gaza Strip and the West Bank city of Bethlehem, handing security control over to Palestinian forces.

The Palestinians are demanding that Israel hand over control of additional Palestinian cities, and Israel has in principle agreed to thisbut Israeli officials have said that the Palestinians must first crack down on Palestinian militants.

Israel and the United States are pressing the Palestinian police to disarm and dismantle extremist groups, including Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, which have killed hundreds of Israelis during the 33 months of violence.

Palestinian security forces took steps this weekend to apprehend militants who have broken the cease-fire.

But Friday night a Palestinian militant opened fire on Palestinian police trying to detain him on suspicion of ordering a mortar attack against a Jewish settlement.