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Israel releases Palestinians prisoners
2008-12-15
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AFP) - Israel was releasing 227 Palestinian prisoners on Monday in what it has described as a goodwill gesture to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas. "The release of prisoners has started and should conclude within an hour," a spokesman for the Israeli prison administration said at around noon (1000 GMT.) The first inmates were freed from the Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank and were to be taken to nearby Ramallah for a welcome ceremony hosted by Abbas. The release came just hours after the Israeli Supreme Court rejected attempts by two organisations to block the move by arguing that the freed prisoners would "resume their terrorist activities." A total of 209 prisoners from the West Bank and 18 from the Gaza Strip were to be released, Israel's prison service said in a statement. None are accused of involvement in deadly attacks on Israelis. Israel's cabinet last month approved the release as a gesture to Abbas, whose West Bank based administration is leading the peace talks with the Jewish state. Olmert told Abbas at their last meeting in November of his plan to release 250 prisoners, but a government committee approved only 230 names. The committee ruled out freeing prisoners who belong to radical groups such as Hamas, the Islamist movement that rules the Gaza Strip, or those implicated in deadly attacks. In August, Israel freed 198 Palestinian prisoners but more than 11,000 Palestinians are still held in its jails.
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