Israel will release 199 Palestinian prisoners to the West Bank on Monday morning as a goodwill gesture to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and in accordance with last week's cabient decision. Palestinian prisoners due to be set free include two Palestinians sentenced to life for their involvement in terror attacks. Other prisoners who were sentenced to ten, twelve and fifteen years in prison for their role in terror attacks are also among those being set free.
Last week's cabinet decision which paved the way for the prisoner release permitted including a large number of prisoners who were charged with attempted murder, possession of explosives, and perpetrating shooting attacks against Israelis.
Appeals lodged with the High Court of Justice in an effort to prevent the prisoner release were rejected Sunday after the court ruled that only the cabinet has the authority to revoke the decision.
The prisoners will be grouped at the Ofer Prison and will undergo medical checks and meetings with Red Cross representatives before they are transferred to the Beituniya checkpoint outside of Ramallah where they will be bused to freedom.
The list of prisoners published last week by the Prisons Authority revealed that Itbari Said who was arrested in 1977 and sentenced to life for manufacturing a bomb, planting a bomb and undergoing military training in an illegal organization is one of the prisoners to be set free. Ibrahim Mahmoud Mohammed who was sentenced to life on two murder charges in 1980 will also be released after authorities claimed that neither of the two posed a threat.
Other prisoners included in the deal are Jaber Zeid who was arrested in 2001 and sentenced to 15 years for attempted murder, Alawna Jamil arrested in 2003 and sentenced to 15 years for possession of explosives and intent to murder, Aghbariya Maher who was arrested in 2002 and sentenced to 15 years for perpetrating shooting attacks, trading in weapons and planting explosives, Khaled Dares who was arrested in 2003 and sentenced to 13 years for membership in an illegal organization and perpetrating shooting attacks, Alias Alam arrested in 2003 and sentenced to ten years for attempted murder, and Mohammed Jihad Katlo who was arrested in 2002 and sentenced to ten years for attempted murder.
The cabinet held three separate votes on the prisoner issue. The release of the two prisoners with "blood on their hands" was approved by all the ministers except Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz and Public Security Minister Avi Dichter, and all but Mofaz approved the release of the other 197.
Last December, Israel released 429 Palestinian prisoners, in an earlier gesture meant to strengthen Abbas after both Israel and the Palestinians decided at laa U.S.-sponsored Mideast conference in Annapolis to try to reach a peace deal by the end of 2008.
08/24/08
Margot Dudkevitch
Infolive.tv
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