Olmert suggests Palestinian prisoner release
Source: Reuters
(Adds Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, paragraphs 4-6) By Ari Rabinovitch JERUSALEM, Dec 24 (Reuters) - 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 U.S. and European pressure to take steps to bolster moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in a power struggle with the Islamic militant group Hamas, which ousted Abbas's Fatah faction in a parliamentary poll last year. At their first formal meeting on Saturday, Olmert pledged to release $100 million in withheld tax revenues to Abbas, bypassing the Hamas-led government. "(Abbas) is an adversary -- he is a not an easy adversary, but with an adversary like this, there is maybe a chance to (conduct) dialogue in order to reach an agreement between us and the Palestinians," Olmert told supporters of his centrist Kadima party. Olmert echoed comments by Abbas aides, saying dialogue with the Palestinian leader would continue to try to renew long-stalled peace talks. Israel, he said, would "not hesitate to harm the terrorists ... and on the other hand, (act) to create a political horizon, to create a basis for dialogue, to try to strengthen the moderate elements, and there are some among the Palestinians." 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. 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. BARGHOUTHI RELEASE? Israel has also recently hinted at more flexibility over the release of Palestinians responsible for violence against Jews -- those who it says have "blood on their hands". A low-ranking cabinet member, Minister of Pensioner Affairs Rafi Eitan, a former member of the Mossad security force, suggested Israel might consider releasing Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouthi as part of a deal. Asked by Israel Radio if Israel would free Barghouthi, Eitan said: "If someone puts a request to release him from prison on the agenda, it should be discussed in accordance with the law." "It's a question of what you would get in return," he added. Barghouthi, 47, is seen by many as Fatah's best chance in any presidential race against Hamas if Abbas decides not to run. He was jailed by an Israeli court for five life terms for ordering attacks as part of the Palestinian revolt against occupation, charges he denied. At least 10 Palestinians have been killed in violence between forces loyal to Abbas and those of Hamas since Abbas's call last week for new elections in the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank after talks on a unity government failed. Saturday's meeting in Jerusalem was seen as a bid to boost Abbas's standing against Hamas, whose government has faced a Western economic boycott over its refusal to recognise Israel, renounce violence and abide by interim peace deals. Abbas faces a difficult balancing act in trying to persuade Palestinians, hard hit by the sanctions, to support his peace agenda without appearing beholden to U.S. and Israeli interests. At Saturday's meeting with Olmert, Abbas appeared to make little headway on the release of Palestinian prisoners -- of whom there are around 11,000. Many Palestinians are also sceptical whether the $100 million will materialise, and say it will anyway only widen the divide between Fatah and Hamas. Hamas leaders scoffed at the results of the meeting. Mushir al-Masri, a senior Hamas lawmaker, said Abbas had set a "serious precedent" by agreeing with Israel that it would funnel the money through his office, rather than through the Hamas-run treasury. (Additional reporting by Allyn Fisher-Ilan and Corinne Heller in Jerusalem; Nidal al-Mughrabi and Mohammed Assadi in Gaza; Wafa Amr in Ramallah)
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