VARIOUS: ISRAELI CABINET APPROVE RELEASE OF 400 PALESTINIAN PRISONERS/ISRAELI SOLDIERS SHOT PALESTINIAN AT BORDER POST

Record ID: 400269

  • Title: VARIOUS: ISRAELI CABINET APPROVE RELEASE OF 400 PALESTINIAN PRISONERS/ISRAELI SOLDIERS SHOT PALESTINIAN AT BORDER POST
  • Date: 29th May 2005
  • Summary: (BN08) JERUSALEM (MAY 29, 2005) (REUTERS) 1. SLV ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER ARIEL SHARON WALKING INTO OFFICE 0.08 2. SLV BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, FINANCE MINISTER ARRIVING 0.19 3. SLV DEFENCE MINISTER SHAUL MOFAZ ARRIVING 0.24 4. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) CABINET MINISTER ITZHAK HERZOG SAYING: "The Israeli cabinet intends to approve today th
  • Embargoed: 13th June 2005 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: JERUSALEM/ HEBRON, RAMALLAH, WEST BANK
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Reuters ID: LVA8E5H08CV8157L71ENZYDHI3CZ
  • Story Text: Violence continues as Israeli cabinet plans to
    approve release of 400 Palestinian prisoners.




    Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's cabinet was
    due on Sunday (May 29) to approve the release of 400
    Palestinian prisoners in a goodwill gesture agreed at a
    peace summit with the Palestinian President in February.

    In a gesture to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas,
    Sharon said he would seek the approval of his cabinet for
    the release of 400 Palestinian prisoners in addition to the
    500 prisoners freed in February as part of understandings
    reached at a Feb. 8 summit when the two sides declared a
    ceasefire.

    "The Israeli cabinet intends to approve today the
    release of four hundred Palestinian prisoners, as a gesture
    to the Palestinian Authority as part of the agreement in
    Sharm el-Sheikh and we intend to fulfill these obligations.

    Now it calls of course on the Palestinians to fulfill
    theirs, especially dismantling terror infrastructure,"
    Israeli Minister of Housing and Construction Itzhak
    Herzog told Reuters ahead of the cabinet meeting in
    Jerusalem.

    Following the release of 500 prisoners, Israel froze
    the additional releases, citing Palestinian inaction in
    disarming militants.

    Sharon said the release of prisoners is intended to
    boost Abbas among the Palestinian public but does not
    relieve him from implementing his commitments to fight the
    "terrorist" organizations.

    "Israel has complaints about the Palestinians, even
    very serious complaints, relating to the implementation of
    the Sharm el-Sheikh understandings. But even those who
    believe the events of the coming months could strengthen
    extremist terrorist forces, must understand the need to
    bolster the main, moderate element of the Palestinian
    Authority and carry out what we promised," Sharon told his
    cabinet members ahead of the meeting.

    Palestinians see the prisoners as fighters for freedom
    from Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza.

    But violence in the West Bank overshadowed Israel's
    intentions to implement the goodwill gesture.

    Israeli media reports said a Palestinian was shot and
    killed by Israeli troops manning an army post in Hebron on
    Sunday, after the man, holding a knife, attempted to stab a
    soldier guarding the post.

    An army spokeswoman said the (military) force called
    for him to stop several times and fired warning shots in
    the air. He continued moving towards the force. He said his
    intention was to kill them. When he arrived close to them,
    and it became life threatening, a soldier opened fire and
    as a result he died.

    The spokeswoman added the militant was given medical
    treatment after being shot but died from injuries.

    Palestinian militant groups have said they would abide
    by a de facto truce declared by President Mahmoud Abbas in
    February. But they have launched sporadic attacks which
    they have said were in response to Israeli "aggressions".

    In Ramallah meanwhile, an Egyptian delegation, headed
    by Mustafa al Beheiri, a deputy to Egyptian intelligence
    chief Omar Suleiman, met Palestinian leaders during a visit
    to the region to assist in rearranging the internal
    Palestinian situation and reinforce national unity.

    At the end of the meeting a senior advisor to the
    Palestinian President, Tayeb Abdel Rahim, stressed the
    importance of the role the Egyptians are taking to
    strengthen the Palestinian internal national unity. "The
    Egyptian efforts, as I said before, are aimed at preserving
    the internal peace and unity and strengthening the
    Palestinian democratic process. For President Mubarak there
    are fixed positions that there is only one authority and
    that the judiciary system must be respected.

    Jibril Rajub, the national security advisor to the
    Palestinian President regarded the calm as a Palestinian
    interest.

    "The calm (cease fire) is a Palestinian interest and is
    a message to the international community and not to Sharon.

    Up till this point, the Israeli side, according to all the
    facts on the ground, has no political agenda and has no
    interest in preserving and strengthening the calm. The calm
    is a form of our national struggle and it is a responsible
    means to meet our international and regional obligations
    regardless of the Israeli actions and wishes," said Rajub.

    The delegation met Palestinian militant factions in
    Gaza to discuss ways of creating joint-mediation with Egypt.

    Egyptian sources said that the visit by the Egyptian
    delegation comes at a Palestinian request to help end
    disputes between Fatah led by Abbas and Hamas, a militant
    group with a surging street popularity.

    The dispute erupted after three Palestinian civil
    courts ruled to annul the results of a May 5 municipal
    election in some areas of the Gaza Strip.

    Hamas rejected the ruling, saying it robbed their party
    of a victory.

    Hamas poses a challenge to Fatah in upcoming
    parliamentary election due on July 17 after it put up a
    strong showing in the first and second stages of the
    municipal elections.

    Egypt has taken a major role in mediating within the
    Palestinian Authority and with Israel since Abbas replaced
    Yasser Arafat after his death last year.


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