Olmert may free prisoners
2006-12-24 21:22
Jerusalem - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud
Olmert suggested on Sunday he could release some Palestinian
prisoners this week even though Gaza militants have yet to free
a captured Israeli soldier.
Israel has been under US and European pressure to take
steps to bolster Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah
after he called early elections against his Hamas rivals.
Three senior Israeli cabinet ministers supported the idea of
releasing some prisoners as a gesture to Abbas before a Muslim
holiday that starts later this week.
'Flexibility and generosity'
A cabinet source said Olmert responded to the proposal by
saying: "The time has come for flexibility and generosity, and
it (Israeli policy) could be different than what has been said
in past meetings."
Israel had previously ruled out any prisoner releases until
Gaza militants freed Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was
captured in a cross-border raid in June.
Comments by minister of pensioner affairs Rafi Eitan also suggested a
possible change in Israel's longstanding refusal to consider
releasing Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouthi from jail as part
of an eventual prisoner exchange for Shalit.
Barghouthi, a popular member of Abbas's Fatah faction, was
jailed by an Israeli court for five life terms for ordering
attacks as part of the Palestinian revolt against occupation.
He
denied the charges.
- Reuters