Israel has released the first in a group of 900 Palestinian prisoners in a goodwill gesture meant to bolster Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud ‘Abbas.
Some 500 prisoners boarded buses at a prison in southern Israel early on Monday morning and departed for their homes in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The release of the 500 Palestinian prisoners, agreed upon by Israel and the Palestinians at the recent summit of regional leaders in Sharm A-Sheikh, is the largest since 1996 when Israel freed 800.
About half of those freed on Monday were from ‘Abbas’s own Fatah faction. The others were members of Islamic organizations.
None of those released on Monday had killed or wounded Israelis. Israel has thus far refused to release Palestinian prisoners “with blood on their hands.” Two hundred of the 500 released on Monday had already served at least two-thirds of their sentences.
The released prisoners were required to sign a pledge promising they would not take part in terror activities.
Israel is to release another group of 400 Palestinian prisoners in the coming months.
Muhammad Dahlan, security adviser to ‘Abbas, said the Palestinians were waiting for a wider release – including of prisoners who had taken part in attacks on Israelis.
A joint Israeli-Palestinian committee will decide which prisoners will go free in the next round.