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Israeli panel OKs release of some Palestinian prisoners
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- A special Israeli government committee voted Wednesday to release some Palestinian prisoners. But the panel said the criteria for releasing Hamas and Islamic Jihad prisoners will have to be changed and the full Israeli Cabinet will have to vote on the releases. Hamas spokesman Abdel Aziz Rantisi reiterated that the prisoner issue "is a red line for all the Palestinians," The Associated Press reported. Israel, he said, "has to abide by the Palestinian initiative and shoulder its responsibilities, especially the prisoners' release," according to the AP. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office would not disclose how many people were on a list of prisoners recommended for release, but a source told CNN there were a "couple hundred" in addition to Hamas and Islamic Jihad prisoners. The Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz said that the number of prisoners under consideration -- including Hamas and Islamic Jihad prisoners -- totaled 530. It was unknown whether the Israeli Cabinet would take up the issue Sunday or would wait until after Sharon returns from a visit next week to Washington. A statement from Sharon's office said the Israeli leader had made it clear to Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas that "the prisoner issue is a sensitive issue for Israel." But it added that "the prisoner issue is one of great importance to the Palestinian prime minister and that advancing the issue will help to strengthen Abu Mazen," the familiar name by which Abbas is also known. The statement said Sharon also noted that "in the last couple of weeks there are Palestinian efforts to try and prevent terror attacks and incitement, and that there has been a reduction in the number of terror alerts. The Palestinians have not started to tackle the terror infrastructure but here is a change in attitude." The issue of releasing members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad is controversial because those groups have claimed responsibility for many of the suicide attacks against Israel. The U.S. State Department describes both Hamas and Islamic Jihad as terrorist organizations. Sharon has vowed that Israel will not release any prisoners with "blood on their hands." As recently as Sunday, however, Abbas was pressing Sharon to release about 450 Palestinian political prisoners. Israel is holding an estimated 6,000 Palestinian prisoners. The Palestinians have said they believe hundreds, if not thousands, of those meet the criteria the panel has set for release. Copyright 2003 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
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