Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Monday that the Palestinian side would not sign a peace deal with Israel lacking a clear article guaranteeing the release of all Palestinians jailed in Israel.
"We had told the American and the Israeli sides that in case we sign on a peace treaty, it should include a clear written text that says Israel would release all Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails," Erekat told reporters in Ramallah.
He stressed that the text in this regard must make it clear that "all Palestinian prisoners will be released the moment the treaty is signed, but not after the implementation of the treaty."
Israel is holding about 11,000 Palestinians in its jails, most of them were detained after the Palestinian Intifada, or uprising against Israel, in late September 2000.
Erekat also called on Israel to change the criteria of releasing prisoners.
Israel usually refuses to release the Palestinians "with blood on their hands" in reference to the Palestinians involved in killing Israelis.
Earlier, Israeli media reports said that Israel is mulling the release of 400 Palestinian prisoners from its jails ahead of the U.S.-sponsored Mideast peace summit as a gesture of goodwill to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Source: Xinhua
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