Israel?began to release more than 400 Palestinian prisoners
early Monday as a gesture of goodwill to strengthen Palestinian
leader Mahmoud Abbas after a U.S.-sponsored conference last week on
Palestinian statehood.
Altogether 429 Palestinians will be released from a Israeli
prison in its southern desert, the Israeli prison service said,
adding that 408 Palestinians will be sent to the West Bank and 21
to Gaza.
Most prisoners belong to Abbas's Fatah faction.
"The prisoners have received medical checkups and met with
representatives of the Red Cross," the Prisons Service said in a
statement.
According to its common practice, the Israelis will release
Palestinian prisoners on the condition that they sign a paper
declaring to stop "terror activities" against Israeli targets.
The release, a central Palestinian demand, was intended to
strengthen Abbas in his struggle against the Islamic Hamas, who
took complete control of the whole Gaza.
Israel is holding about 9,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert launched formal
peace talks at the Annapolis, Maryland, over a "two-state solution"
that could lead to an independent Palestinian state in the Gaza
Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Abbas said earlier that the Palestinians' goal is to establish
an independent state of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its
capital.
Abbas expressed the hope that the two sides would conclude all
final-status negotiations on the issues of Jerusalem, refugees,
settlements, borders, water resources and security, and reach a
solution that can be put into practice by the end of 2008.
(Xinhua News Agency December 3, 2007)
