PNA Rejects Israeli Offer To Release 900 Detainees

2005-02-06

Erakat, Weisglass Agree to Set up Joint Committee

Palestine Media Center - PMC

www.palestine-pmc.com/details.asp?cat=1&id=791

Three days ahead of the Palestinian - Israeli summit meeting in Egypt, the Palestine National Authority (PNA) and Israel reportedly agreed to set up a joint committee to discuss the criteria of detainees' release after the summit, amid wide-spread Palestinian rejection of an Israeli cabinet decision to release only 900 out of more than 8,000 detainees in the jails of the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF).

Palestinian Minister for Negotiations Saeb Erakat said the decision to set up a joint committee had been reached during late-night talks in Tel Aviv on Saturday with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's top adviser Dov Weisglass.

The talks were also attended by former Palestinian security minister Mohammad Dahlan and secretary of the Palestinian cabinet Hasan Abu Libdah.

Erakat told AFP that a firm agreement on detainees has yet to be reached, but "it was an in-depth meeting with some very positive ideas."

"The two sides agreed to set up a joint ministerial committee to discuss the criteria of prisoners to be released," he said, adding that negotiations would continue ahead of the summit between Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, the first such top-level talks in over four years.

The negotiating teams would meet again Sunday, Erakat added.

A day earlier PNA spokesman Nabil Abu Rudainah said he expected a compromise to be reached in time for Tuesday's summit.

"We are ... demanding the liberation of 8,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and hope to be able to sort out the differences in this respect in 48 hours," he said.

Abbas and Sharon are scheduled to join Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah II in a summit meeting in the Egyptian resort of Sharm al-Sheikh Tuesday.

Israel Urged to Be Flexible

Abu Rdainah urged Israel to be flexible on prisoner releases to avoid a crisis at Tuesday's summit.

A similar call for flexibility was voiced by Israel's Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Moshe Ya'alon, who called for a more flexible approach to "the issue of Palestinian security prisoners," including releasing some with "blood on their hands."

Ya'alon has reportedly said in the past few days that since Israel negotiated in the past with people such as (late Palestinian leader) Yaser Arafat who had "blood on their hands," then perhaps it should be more flexible now, The Jerusalem Post reported Sunday.

Israeli Cabinet ministers on Thursday approved the release of 900 Palestinian detainees. Israeli officials said a first batch of 500 prisoners would be freed next week, after the summit, with 400 to follow over a period of three months.

Weisglass said that this was the "final offer: No additional prisoners would be freed, and none with blood on their hands."

PNA: Israeli Offer Unacceptable, Insulting

The PNA rejected the Israeli unilateral decision as well as the criteria the Israelis set for the release of detainees.

Speaking to reporters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, President Abbas said he wanted Palestinians who have served long terms in the jails of the IOF to be included in the first round of the release.

In response to Israel's decision Abbas said: "We don't know how many will be released. Nor do we know their identities. But we hope that the first group of released prisoners will be big and will include those who have spent many years in prison."

Erakat said the Israeli offer was totally unacceptable.

"The Israeli offer is completely unacceptable," he said. "This is one of the most important and sensitive issues for the Palestinians."

Thursday's Meeting Ends in Crisis

A Palestinian - Israeli meeting in Tel Aviv late Thursday "has ended in a crisis" over the issue of detainees, Abu Libdah said.

"Israel stuck to its criteria of not releasing those it described as having 'blood on their hands'," Erakat said after talks with Israeli officials on the issue broke up without agreement late on Thursday.

"That means that all the prisoners who were jailed before (interim peace deals) in 1993 will not be released," he said.

There are at least 250 such prisoners.

Criticizing Israel's offer, saying it was only freeing people serving relatively short terms, Erakat said: "We want them to release those who spent more than 20 years in jail," he said. "It is not what we want. It is not what our people want."

Erakat echoed a request made by Abbas in 2003, when he was prime minister, and asked for 500 prisoners in the pre-Oslo category to be released. Abbas argued then that it was illogical to exclude men who had already served long sentences and had been convicted for carrying out orders from those with whom Israel was seeking agreement - including Abbas himself.

Israeli daily Haaretz quoted a Palestinian official involved in Thursday's meeting as saying that the Israeli offer was "an insulting proposal." Mohammad Dahlan said. 'The Israelis don't realize that the issue of the prisoners is very important for us. It's even more important than the withdrawal from some cities in the West Bank."

US Welcomes Israeli Offer

Meanwhile the US State Department said Thursday that Israel's possible release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners would be welcome.

"Actions such as this are important and welcome in that they are -- help, I think, sustain and maintain momentum in engagement between the parties," State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli told reporters.

"So, in that sense these kinds of actions are important, are noteworthy, and are, I think, to be commended when they occur."

"They help build confidence and trust between the parties," Ereli said.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected in Israel Sunday and the West Bank on Monday.

"And this is the kind of thing that Secretary Rice will be working on when she goes out there," Ereli said.

Source: IMRA – Independent Media Review and Analysis