Israel will release 250 Palestinian prisoners
On Sunday, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s Cabinet approved the move, first promised to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas during a summit meeting last month in Egypt.
The actual release will wait until Israeli security officials vet the prisoners slated for release to ensure none have been involved in lethal attacks on Israelis, and to allow for the decision to be appealed by Israeli victims of Palestinian terrorism.
“We want to use all measures that can reinforce the moderate elements in the Palestinian Authority,” Olmert told fellow ministers.
Israel, with Western backing, has been seeking ways to bolster Abbas’ Fatah faction since it was violently ejected from the Gaza Strip by Hamas last month, and the prisoners slated for release are members of Fatah.
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