Israeli negotiators have reportedly offered a plan for the phased release of 10,000 Palestinian prisoners as part of the agreement for implementing Palestinian self-rule in the territories.
According to sources familiar with the progress of the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, the plan calls for the first 3,000 prisoners to be released by Dec. 13, when Israel is scheduled to begin withdrawing its troops from the Gaza Strip and West Bank town of Jericho.
Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin said earlier this week that there would be no additional prisoner releases before an agreement is reached in the self-rule implementation talks, which entered their eighth round this week in Cairo.
But Rabin had indicated that there would be provisions for the release of prisoners within such an agreement.
He added, however, that the prisoners would be released only in exchange for information about Israeli soldiers who are missing in action.
Israel released more than 600 Palestinian prisoners in October in an effort to build confidence in the self-rule accord that Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization signed in Washington more than two months ago.
The continued escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip, however, has eroded public support for the accord among Israelis as well as Palestinians.
Thousands of Palestinians protested in Gaza on Tuesday against the continuing crackdown by Israeli security forces against terrorists.
‘IF WE SEE A SOLDIER WE WILL KILL HIM’
The Israeli army, attempting to quell the demonstrations, shot and wounded at least 10 protesters.
The protests followed the capture by Israeli troops in Gaza on Monday of Fatah Hawk commander Taisir Bordini, 26, and two other members of the group, which does not support the PLO’s accord with Israel.
During the past few days, Israeli troops have killed several Palestinians belonging to Arab rejectionist groups.
The ensuing unrest has been the most serious in the territories since the Israel-PLO accord was signed in September.
On Monday, the Fatah Hawks sent a message to PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat that read, “Now, if we see a soldier, we will kill him because the Israelis didn’t keep the agreement and they still kill us.”
By Tuesday night, there were reports that the Israeli security officials were cooperating with PLO leaders in Tunis to find a way to ease the tensions.
There were additional reports that Israeli army commanders and Palestinian leaders met in Gaza on Tuesday and reached an agreement they hoped would reduce the violence there.
According to reports, Israeli forces were to lessen their presence on the streets of Gaza starting this week and would also remove some roadblocks and open some cordoned-off streets.
In return, the Palestinian leaders reportedly offered to meet with members of rejectionist groups, including the Fatah Hawks, and attempt to persuade them not to escalate their struggle against Israeli soldiers.
Rabin said Tuesday that he regretted the escalation of violence.
He acknowledged that it was turning public sentiment against the agreement, but he vowed to continue the current policy of negotiating with the PLO.
Rabin, who was in Paris for meetings with French President Francois Mitterrand and Prime Minister Edouard Balladur, is traveling to several European capitals this week in an effort to increase trade between Israel and the member states of the European Community and to upgrade Israel’s association with the E.C.
Since 1975, Israel has had a free-trade agreement with the Common Market countries. Rabin is trying to elevate Israel to associate member, the highest level a non-European country can attain within the E.C.
‘SOME PALESTINIANS ARE A DANGER’
A source at Balladur’s office told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that Rabin had acknowledged that the situation in the territories was difficult and that he would do his best to prevent any further violence.
“Some Palestinians are a danger for us and for the rest of the Palestinians,” Rabin reportedly told Balladur. “But Israel has ceased to consider the Palestinians (taken) altogether as a threat for our country.”
In Israel, members of the Likud opposition are claiming that the violence proves Arafat has lost control in the territories and that the government should rethink its accord with the PLO.
Although details of the progress at the Cairo talks are sketchy, the Israeli-PLO negotiations for implementing the self-rule accord are reported to be moving slowly.
The two sides are trying to reconcile differences on three issues: how to guarantee the security of Jewish settlements in the territories; who will have jurisdiction over the border crossings near Gaza and Jericho; and how to determine the size of the autonomous area of Jericho.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Nabil Sha’ath has accused Israel of stalling to put pressure on the Palestinians.
Rabin has said he does not believe that Dec. 13, the scheduled date for the start of Israeli military withdrawals, must be strictly adhered to.
More importantly, said Rabin, he is committed to completing the withdrawals by April 13, the deadline set forth in the self-rule accord.
The prime minister said it could be beneficial now to wait a few weeks “in order to reach a clear, defined, formulated, well-written and signed agreement so that the number of possible misunderstandings that will crop up in the implementation will be as few as possible.”
But Arafat insists the Dec. 13 date must be honored or else “the whole peace process will be affected.”
(Contributing to this report was JTA correspondent Michel Di Paz in Paris.)
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