Palestinian demand the release of all detainees in Israeli jails

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, July 23 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Palestinians warned Wednesday, July 23, that Israel's decision to exclude Hamas and Islamic Jihad members from Palestinian prisoners expected to be soon released would torpedo the peace process.

An Israeli commission decided at the end of its meeting Wednesday to give the green light to the release of 350 Palestinians who had been on a list drawn up by the Israeli internal intelligence service Shin Beth, the Israeli public radio reported.

But the commission also decided that the government should review a dossier which included 100 other detainees "belonging to terrorist organizations" that the government had suggested be freed, it added, in reference to Hamas and Jihad resistance activists.

Several members of the committee expressed their disappointment that the number of detainees to be released was not higher, reported the Israeli Haarez newspaper.

'Blackmail'

The commission's decision to exclude Hamas and Islamic Jihad members from immediate release was vehemently rejected by the two groups, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

They, however, vowed commitment to the three-month truce they declared last month, suspending anti-Israel attacks.

Top Hamas official Ismail Haniyeh said "the Zionist enemy is responsible for this decision and its dangerous consequences.

"It confirms that the problem does not come from the Palestinian side which offered a real opportunity to reach stability and justice".

Islamic Jihad leader Mohammed al-Hindi said, for his part, that Israel "uses the issue of the prisoners to blackmail the Palestinians. We want all the prisoners to be released."

He also called on the Palestinian Authority to "stop all meetings" with the Israeli side.

On his party, Abdel-Aziz Al-Rantissi, a Hamas leader, said the Israeli decision to exclude the two groups' members from being released was expected.

"But truce should be given a chance" to survive, Rantissi was quoted as saying by Al-Jazeera.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad agreed on June 29 to a three-month halt of attacks but a raft of conditions was attached to the truce, including the release of all the estimated 6,000 Palestinians in Israeli jails.

It had been expected that the commission, which was chaired by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, would wave through the list of 450 names, including members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad who were not implicated in attacks which led to Israeli casualties.

'Dead-end'

Palestinian Minister for Prisoners' Affairs Hisham Abdelrazzaq said Israel's refusal to release Hamas and Islamic Jihad members would "lead the political process to a dead-end.

"We have entered a huge political crisis with the Israeli side and this decision will lead the political process to a dead-end," he added.

The prisoners issue has become one of the major sticking points between the two sides with the Palestinians growing increasingly frustrated by Israel's refusal not to release more prisoners.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas, who came under mounting criticism at home over his failure to persuade the Israelis to give more ground, is due to hold talks with U.S. President George W. Bush in Washington on Friday.

'Tough Situation'

Speaking before news emerged of the outcome of the ministerial commission, Palestinian Information Minister Nabil Amr appeared to soften demands that all 6,000 prisoners be freed.

"The Palestinians require a huge number of our prisoners to be released but not according to Israeli classifications," he told reporters.

Amr said that the Palestinians would look to the U.S. to exert pressure on Israel over the prisoners issue.

"If there is no progress in this important visit to Washington we can be sure that Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas will face a tough situation among the Palestinian people and the Legislative Council (the Palestinian parliament)," he added.

"He (Abbas) will have to inform the Legislative Council of his achievements on the political level but until now we don't have significant results to convince the (parliament) that we have succeeded in our mission."

Amr said that Abbas would also demand an end to Arafat's 19-month confinement to his headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah as well as a halt to the building of a controversial security fence and the building of Jewish settlements.