Palestinians unhappy with scope of prisoner release

A senior Palestinian negotiator called Israel’s planned prisoner release insufficient, saying it failed to meet the expectations ahead of a crucial summit between the sides.

Israel has approved the release of 900 of an estimated 7,000 Palestinian prisoners, a gesture meant to build goodwill at the summit between Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday.

Haim Ramon, a member of Israel’s security Cabinet, said the prisoners to be released have sentences ranging from under a year to three or four years, and that none was involved in attacks on Israelis.

Palestinian Cabinet minister Saeb Erakat criticised Israel’s offer, saying it was only freeing people serving relatively short terms.

“We want them to release those who spent more than 20 years in jail,” he said. “It is not what we want. It is not what our people want.”

The new Palestinian leadership sees prisoner releases as key to bolstering domestic support as Abbas proceeds with peace efforts.

Many Palestinian officials say Sharon’s refusal to sanction a far-reaching prisoner release during Abbas’ short-lived term as Palestinian prime minister in 2003 led to his downfall.

Israeli government spokesman Dore Gold said the prisoner release was part of an overall Israeli effort to jump start political dialogue with the Palestinians, and called on the Palestinian leadership to move more decisively against militant groups.

“Now it remains to be seen whether the Palestinians will follow through by making a full effort in the security sphere,” he said.

Differences have emerged over what each side hopes to achieve at the summit in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheik.

Palestinians want it to be the beginning of a new political process to end the conflict, while Israel wants only to deal with security issues.

Sharon told senior Cabinet ministers it is still premature to talk about restarting peace talks within the framework of the road map for Middle East peace.

“We are not talking about peace now, and not about the road map, but rather about phases that come before the implementation of the road map,” he said.

Israeli officials say the prime minister wants to put off peace talks for fear they would interfere with his plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements this summer.

Despite the friction, the Egypt meeting is expected to produce a joint ceasefire declaration formally ending more than four years of bloodshed.

A joint declaration to end the violence is one of the first requirements in the road map, launched at a summit in Jordan in 2003 but quickly stalled by violence.

The road map calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state this year.