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Israel releases more than 250 Palestinian prisoners

Israel yesterday freed more than 250 Palestinian prisoners, who flashed victory signs to a West Bank heroes' welcome, in a move intended to bolster Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

In the biggest such release in two years, Israeli prison officials drove the 255 prisoners to the Beitunya checkpoint, where they were handed over to the Palestinian Authority and bused to the West Bank capital Ramallah.

"I thank God that we are honored by the return of heroes of freedom to their home and the bosom of their homeland," Abbas told the thousands who thronged the courtyard of his leadership compound to welcome the prisoners.

"We must continue to work for the return of all Palestinian prisoners," he added, of the nearly 11,000 Palestinians who remain in Israeli custody, in one of the thorniest issues separating the two sides.

Including six women and 11 minors, the release comes three weeks after Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert promised, at a Middle East summit in Egypt, to release 250 prisoners as part of efforts to bolster Abbas against Hamas.

The final number freed was 255, one less than the 256 originally announced by Ian Domnitz, a spokesman for the prisons authority, but still the biggest single release since 2005, when 900 Palestinians were freed in two batches.

After being welcomed individually as heroes by Abbas, they went in homage to the grave of the late historic leader Yasser Arafat and took part in special, collective Friday Muslim prayers under a tent.

The prisoner who served the longest sentence is Muhannad Jaradat, detained in 1989 and sentenced to 20 years. His sentence was due to end in 2009.

"Today I'm reborn. Unfortunately my father, who I dreamt of seeing again, died while I was in prison," the 40-year-old said.

"Now my priority is to enroll at university to continue my studies and continue efforts to release the other prisoners," he said.

Israel agreed to the releases as part of a series of goodwill gestures designed to bolster Abbas in his struggle for power with Hamas, following the group's bloody takeover of the Gaza Strip last month.
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