OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, 19 July 2003 — Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is expected to approve the release of a limited number of jailed members of militant Palestinian groups in a bid to bolster his embattled counterpart Mahmoud Abbas. Palestinian sources told AFP the two prime ministers are to hold talks tomorrow before separate visits to Washington that are designed to give momentum to the troubled peace process.
Israeli newspapers said Sharon could recommend that dozens of Hamas and Islamic Jihad members currently behind bars in Israel be included in a list of Palestinian prisoners to be considered for release.
Haaretz said between 40 and 60 Hamas and Islamic Jihad activists who have not been implicated in bloody attacks would be added to a group of 350 detainees that the government agreed in principle to release earlier this month on the recommendation of the Israeli security services.
The White House has confirmed that US President George W. Bush would hold his first meeting with Abbas on July 25, then host Sharon on July 29. “There’s a long way to go, but there’s some progress being made, and the president looks forward to visiting with both leaders,” White House spokesman Scott McClellan said late Thursday.
Abbas’ stay, scheduled to include a meeting and a working lunch, will be the first by a Palestinian leader since Bush took office in January 2001, with the US leader shunning Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat.
