The Israeli cabinet on Sunday approved the release of 250 Palestinian security prisoners as a goodwill gesture to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, local news service Ynet reported.
The move was requested by caretaker Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who promised to set free another 250 Palestinian prisoners during his meeting earlier this month with Abbas, said the report.
The weekly cabinet meeting green lighted the proposal despite objections from a number of ministers, the report said.
The upcoming release, following a similar move in August involving 198 Palestinian prisoners, was seen as part of Israel's effort to encourage the moderate forces among the Palestinians.
Israeli officials have clarified that those who would gain freedom would be prisoners who were involved in terror but belong to the moderate camp, and not members of hardline Hamas or the Islamic Jihad.
After the vote, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, a strong premiership contender in the February general election, praised the move, stressing that such moves must go hand-in-hand with tough actions against Hamas.
Yet citing the sluggish peace talks and stalled negotiations over kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, Jacob Edery, Minister of the Development of the Negev and Galil, told the cabinet meeting that Israel "has made enough gestures to the Palestinians without having received anything in return. You don't have to free terrorists so long as there is no progress in the effort to free Gilad Shalit or the peace talks."
Meanwhile, the main opposition party Likud also opposes the move.
Noting the ongoing rocket attacks on southern Israel and the continuing captivity of Shalit, Likud lawmaker Gideon Sa'ar argued that "the release of terrorists will not promote the diplomatic process but will harm the security of Israeli citizens."
According to official figures, Israel holds more than 11,000 prisoners in its jails, most of whom were arrested during the second Intifada, or uprising, which erupted against Israel in the Palestinian territories in late September 2000.
Source:Xinhua
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