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Palestinian prisoners head home
Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners have been freed by Israel in a goodwill gesture aimed at bolstering the US-backed peace plan. Prisoners flashed victory signs and kissed the ground as they were reunited with relatives in the West Bank and Gaza. Israel says it freed about 340 ?security prisoners? who have not been involved in fatal attacks on Israelis. Palestinians want all 6,000 prisoners believed to be held by Israel to be set free, and have criticised the current releases as insufficient. Israel has said it will release another 100 prisoners later on.
Militant groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad have condemned the releases as a publicity stunt. The dispute has become one of the main obstacles blocking progress with the US-backed roadmap peace plan, even though the issue of prisoner releases is not part of its terms. As the prisoner releases got under way, Israel sent tanks into the West Bank city of Jericho in the first large-scale foray into Palestinian territory for several months.
Muted celebrations
Cheering crowds greeted the prisoners as they arrived at four West Bank checkpoints and the Erez checkpoint in the Gaza Strip. As they disembarked from Israeli buses, many knelt down and kissed the earth, as relatives and friends applauded. ?I?m happy,? said 21-year-old Hamad al-Rimawi, who had served 15 months of a 20-month sentence. ?But my happiness will be complete when all my friends are released.?
Another freed prisoner, Hamas member Mohammed Abu Daher, said the releases were ?a big trick from the Israeli occupation?. The prisoners smiled and waved, before boarding Palestinian buses or taxis to return to their homes. Setting the prisoners free is supposed to be a confidence-building measure, but it may have the opposite effect.
Many Palestinians are angry that the number of those released falls short of the 540 prisoners Israel pledged to free last week. Senior Hamas leader Abdelaziz Rantissi said the releases were a ?drama? staged by Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon for the cameras. ?If Israel doesn?t release all prisoners this will destroy the hudna (truce),? he told.
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