- Title: ISRAEL/JORDAN: SEVEN JORDANIAN PRISONERS ARE RELEASED FROM ISRAEL PRISON
- Date: 21st April 2005
- Summary: (BN07) AYALON PRISON, NEAR TEL-AVIV, ISRAEL (APRIL 21, 2005) (REUTERS) 1. WIDE OF EXTERIOR OF PRISON 0.04 2. SLV INTERIOR OF PRISON, PRISONERS AWAITING RELEASE 0.10 3. VARIOUS OF WARDENS STANDING WITH JORDANIAN PRISONERS, DOCUMENTS BEING GIVEN OUT 0.22 4. VARIOUS OF WARDENS ESCORTING PRISONERS OUT OF JAIL 0.27 5. VARIOUS OF
- Embargoed: 6th May 2005 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: AYALON PRISON, NEAR TEL AVIV, ISRAEL/ ALLENBY BRIDGE, JORDAN
- City:
- Country: Israel
- Reuters ID: LVA6AW78UAXP6GRA07T5D4W1OP0J
- Story Text: Seven Jordanian prisoners return home after being freed by Israelin goodwill gesture.
Israel freed seven of 18 Jordanians from its jails on Thursday
(April 21, 2005), in keeping with a pledge to improve ties between the two
countries. Their families received them at the Allenby border post.
Jordan had demanded the prisoners release after returning its
ambassador to Tel Aviv in February following a four-year absence during a
Palestinian uprising that has calmed in the
past three months.
The prisoners were taken from a prison in central Israel and crossed
the border at the Allenby bridge over the River Jordan where they were met by
their families.
Israel's cabinet decided on Sunday (April 17) to free nine of the
prisoners imminently. None were involved in deadly attacks against
Israelis.
Israeli Radio reported that the two remaining prisoners had chosen to
remain with relatives in the West Bank.
"My feeling is that I am happy but it is not complete with the
release of my other brothers especially the four comrades whom Sharon (Israeli
prime minister) claims have blood on their hands. This criminal, are his hands
free of blood of children and women and orphans? And now this criminal claims
that these people should not be released because their hands have blood on
them," said one of the seven, Wael aL Amir.
A Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokesman said earlier this month that
Amman hoped most of the 18 jailed Jordanians would go free but acknowledged
that Israel was unlikely to release those involved in the killing of
Israelis.
Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994. Two months ago, it
returned its ambassador to Tel Aviv for the first time in four years amid
heightened hopes for Middle East peace.
Since the start of a Palestinian uprising in 2000, several Jordanians
have left Jordan to join Palestinian militant groups that have carried out
attacks against soldiers and civilians.
Many of the kingdom's people are of Palestinian origin.
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