Palestinian Minister for Prisoner Affairs Hisham Abd al-Razik said after a meeting with Israel's Justice Minister Joseph Lapid in Jerusalem on Monday that the Israeli cabinet’s decision Sunday on the release of Palestinian prisoners and detainees would was not helping the Palestinian government, and that Hamas and Islamic Jihad prisoners should be released as well.
“We in the Palestinian government are responsible for the entire Palestinian nation and we are not a government of one Palestinian party. The release of Hamas and Islamic
Jihad prisoners,” Abd al-Razik said after the meeting. Palestinian Justice Minister Abd al-Karim Abu Salah also took part in the meeting, Haaretz reported.
"I hope that this is a beginning of judicial cooperation, there is a long list of problems that need solving," Lapid said before the meeting. Abd al-Razik agreed that without tight cooperation in all areas, the chances of a successful process were very slim, and added that on the Palestinian side there was "a strong will to succeed."
Meanwhile, after meeting Palestinian Information Minister Nabil Amr on Monday to discuss the issue of "incitement," Israel's Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said his counterpart had told him steps were being taken to oversee both the Palestinian written and electronic media as well as school text books, to ensure they were free of "inciteful" messages.
During the meeting, Amr protested comments made by an Israeli minister about "driving Palestinian prisoners into the Dead Sea."
Meanwhile, the leader of the Palestinian prisoners’ club described the conditions put by Israel to release the Palestinian prisoners as ‘unfair’ and a ‘declaration of war’ on the fragile truce announced recently between the Palestinian factions and Israel. He also criticized the way the issue was addressed, saying, “it undermines the importance of the matter as it was discussed outside the framework of the official negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians.”
Issa Qaraqi, who heads the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club told Al Bawaba, “The actions and unfair conditions set by Sharon’s government constitute a war on the truce.” He said, “What goes on now is a declaration of war on the truce, particularly in view of the fact that the prisoners [from their cells] played an important role in reaching the truce…Consequently, these prisoners are capable of undermining the truce should they loose their right of release.
Earlier, Israel said several hundred Palestinian prisoners would be released provided that they were not convicted of killing any Israelis. Prior to the Israeli announcement, the Palestinian factions announced a three to six-month truce with Israel on the condition that all the Palestinian prisoners are released, the siege on the Palestinian territories is lifted and the assassination attempts on Palestinian leaders and Islamists be halted.
Qaraqi said, “Israel would release a number of prisoners whose jail terms are about to be completed, while thousands who have received long jail sentences would remain in prison.” Israel, he added, “refused to release any prisoner who has killed Israelis in the past…and have also refused to release any prisoners from Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)…so therefore the new criteria set by the Israeli government will lead to a crisis.” The prisoners’ club leader added, “the Palestinians cannot accept this and some prisoners have even announced a hunger strike in protest to the method and character that Israel uses to deal with the Palestinian prisoners…such as classifying them and setting conditions for their release.”
Asked about the leaders, Qaraqi said, “efforts have been made at the political level to have them released” adding, “the true ‘crime’ here is that it [the issue of the prisoners] has not been addressed as a political one during any negotiations. Israel is still dealing with it as a secondary issue and it considers the prisoners as criminals and terrorists rather than prisoners of war according to the international law.” (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
