President Chaim Herzog yesterday granted clemency to Uri Maier, a member of the Jewish terrorist underground in the West Bank, who was serving a 30-month sentence. He was immediately released from jail.
Maier underwent spinal surgery recently and his medical condition was the primary factor in the decision to grant him clemency. Justice Minister Moshe Nissim, on whose recommendation Herzog acted, made it clear that this case will not set a precedent nor does it indicate any change of policy toward the Jewish underground.
Maier is the first of the more than 20 members of the underground serving sentences for crimes of violence against Arabs in the West Bank to receive clemency. He was convicted for his role in the June, 1980 car-bomb attacks on three Arab mayors.
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