GAZA CITY, 25 December 2006 — Israel may release some Palestinian prisoners soon even though the Palestinians have not freed a captured Israeli soldier. This was disclosed by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to his Cabinet yesterday. A release would mark a major change in Israeli government policy and would give Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas a major boost in his rivalry with Hamas, which controls the Palestinian Cabinet and Parliament.
Hamas-linked fighters captured Israeli Cpl. Gilad Shalit in a cross-border raid from Gaza in June, demanding that Israelis free 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for his release. Olmert refused, saying that Shalit would have to be released before any Palestinians would be freed. But Olmert, who has tried to restart peace efforts with the Palestinians in recent months, met with Abbas on Saturday night and made a series of gestures to the moderate Palestinian leader, offering to lift some West Bank checkpoints and give him millions of dollars in frozen funds.
Yesterday, Olmert told his Cabinet it needed to reconsider its attitude toward releasing some of the estimated 8,000 Palestinian prisoners in custody. “The time has come to show flexibility and generosity regarding prisoners,” he said, according to a participant in the meeting. “It could be that this opinion is different from what has been said in earlier government meetings, but this is my opinion.” Olmert hinted to his Cabinet that some prisoners could be freed by the Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Adha, which starts in about a week, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was discussing closed-door government deliberations. Israel hoped a prisoner release would help bolster Abbas’ argument that only talks with Israel will bring the Palestinians a state. Hamas, which calls for the destruction of Israel, advocates using force to gain independence.
As Olmert worked to ease tensions with the Palestinians, other ministers in his Cabinet were demanding that Israel authorize a military operation to end the ongoing Palestinian rocket fire from the Gaza Strip.
Gaza fighters have fired more than 50 homemade rockets into Israel — including two yesterday — since a cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinians went into effect there Nov. 26.
“We have to weigh a broad, clear operation in order to stop the Qassam (rockets),” minister Shaul Mofaz, a former army chief, told the Cabinet. “It doesn’t need to be only against the rocket squads, but should have an emphasis on the organizational commanders, and the decision has to be made as soon as possible.” Such an operation would almost certainly spell the end of the cease-fire agreement, even as Abbas and Olmert talked of expanding it to the West Bank. But during their meeting late Saturday, the Israeli leader also told Abbas that his patience with the rocket attacks was wearing thin.
As part of his overtures to Abbas at the two-hour meeting, Olmert promised to ease West Bank restrictions and agreed to release $100 million in frozen funds to Abbas to help ease the Palestinian financial crisis caused by an international aid boycott of the Hamas-led Palestinian Cabinet.
— With input from agencies
