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Israel releases 500 palestinian prisoners { February 22 2005 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/22/international/middleeast/22mideast.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/22/international/middleeast/22mideast.html
February 22, 2005
Israel Releases 500 Palestinian Prisoners
By GREG MYRE
RAMALLAH, West Bank, Feb. 21 - Israel freed 500 Palestinian prisoners on Monday, the latest good-will gesture intended to strengthen a truce that has largely been holding.
Palestinians welcomed the move, but also called for the release of the 7,000 Palestinians who remained imprisoned by Israel.
"This is a good beginning," said Muhammad Amtayer, 26, who was freed Monday after serving nearly four years of a seven-year sentence for possessing and dealing munitions, among other charges. "But there are many prisoners who are old and sick, and they should be the priority."
Wearing a Palestinian flag draped around his neck, Mr. Amtayer was among a busload of prisoners freed near Ramallah, one of five places where prisoners were dropped off. In each location, friends and relatives were waiting with hugs, kisses and tears.
Mr. Amtayer said that his mother died last year, and that his first two stops would be at her grave and at the tomb of Yasir Arafat, the Palestinian leader who died in November.
The new Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, has cited prisoner releases as his top priority as the Israelis and Palestinians move to revive peace efforts after more than four years of fighting.
Israel recently announced that it would free 900 jailed Palestinians, and the releases on Monday were the first installment. The remaining 400 are to be released within the next three months.
Many Palestinians hailed the releases as a tangible sign of progress. But Palestinians also complained that, as with previous releases, many of those freed were serving relatively short sentences and were near the end of their terms.
Israel has refused to grant an early release to prisoners who took part in attacks that killed Israelis, and those inmates are serving long sentences. But Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon, said recently that Mr. Abbas had emphasized the importance of freeing long-term prisoners, and Mr. Sharon said he would consider it in the future.
Mr. Sharon and Mr. Abbas called for an end to violence two weeks ago, and calm has generally prevailed. Israel's military said Monday that it had arrested a Hamas member, Said Ahras, who was planning an attack against troops near the West Bank city of Nablus.
In Palestinian politics, parliament on Monday delayed a planned vote on the new cabinet after legislators complained that the slate proposed by Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei was little changed from the previous cabinet and did not appear likely to introduce reforms.
"It's the same old people who failed to deliver in the previous term," said Ziad Abu Amr, a prominent legislator from Gaza. "I don't think this cabinet is going to live up to the expectations that people have in this new environment."
Mr. Qurei has been prime minister for nearly a year and a half, but has not introduced any major initiatives. The new cabinet is being formed as a follow-up to Mr. Abbas's victory in the election last month for president of the Palestinian Authority. Under Palestinian law, if Mr. Qurei cannot win approval for his new cabinet, Mr. Abbas would then appoint a new prime minister.
Several lawmakers said they expected a vote to take place Tuesday. It was not clear whether Mr. Qurei would make additional changes in his slate. During the parliamentary session on Monday, Mr. Qurei slammed down the microphone as lawmakers delivered a litany of complaints about corruption and a lack of reform.
"We stress that the government will exert every possible effort to achieve security, with our full commitment to preserve the freedom of speech and thoughts, and to avoid any internal conflict," he said.
One proposed cabinet change would make Nasser al-Kidwa, the Palestinian representative to the United Nations and a nephew of Mr. Arafat, the new foreign minister. Mr. Kidwa would replace Nabil Shaath, who is to become a deputy prime minister.
Nasser Yousef, a longtime security official, would become the new interior minister, placing him in charge of the Palestinian security forces. Mr. Abbas has called for streamlining the multiple, overlapping security agencies.
Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company
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