JERUSALEM - Israel began releasing about 430 Palestinian prisoners on Monday in a bid to bolster President Mahmoud Abbas after a U.S.-sponsored conference last week on Palestinian statehood, Israeli officials said.
The prisoners, most of whom belong to Abbas's secular Fatah movement, were bussed from a desert prison to Israel's borders with the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, a Prisons Service spokeswoman said.
Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert launched formal peace talks at the U.S.-hosted Annapolis, Maryland, conference, and the prisoner release is meant to strengthen the Palestinian leader against Hamas Islamists who seized the Gaza Strip in June.
Hamas has rejected the peace moves with Israel.
The issue of prisoners is highly emotive for Palestinians, who see their nearly 11,000 brethren held in Israeli jails as fighters against foreign occupation. Many Israelis fear that such amnesties encourage Palestinian militants to strike again.
-
Nicaragua bans international visitors from bringing in Bibles
-
Evangelical vicar accused of abuse won't stand trial
-
Pastor who gave sermon near abortion clinic stands trial
-
Christians protest LGBT nativity play where Jesus is 'King of the Gays'
-
Sarah Mullally reiterates apology as safeguarding record comes under the spotlight
-
Myanmar junta orders an early Christmas
Most Popular
News
Being people of peace
It would be fair to say that the pace and complexity of life works against us finding any peace.
Christians and religious nones alike object to AI-generated social media videos
Evangelicals, nones and non-denominational Christians reject AI-generated videos, a new study has found.
What we don’t know about Christmas
Every Christmas people are bombarded with images of the Nativity in Christmas cards, the lyrics of songs and Nativity plays. Yet many of the images embedded in our minds are pure tradition. In fact, there is a lot that we do not know. This is the story …
Richard Moth appointed as new Archbishop of Westminster
Bishop Richard Moth has been confirmed as the new Archbishop of Westminster, the most senior post in the Catholic Church in England and Wales.