Israel to free 250 palestinian prisoners

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Source: CCTV.com | 12-01-2008 09:17

The Israeli government has approved the release of 250 Palestinian prisoners. It's a goodwill gesture ahead of a Muslim festival next week.

The Israeli government said on Sunday the release is meant to facilitate peace talks with the government of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The Israeli government has approved the release of 250  Palestinian prisoners.(Photo: AFP)

Mark Regev, Israel Government Spokesman said "The full cabinet decided this morning to approve the prime minister's proposal to release some 250 Palestinian prisoners as a confidence building measure towards the upcoming Muslim holidays. It is the hope of the Israeli government that this release will further strengthen the process of dialogue and reconciliation and support the negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians."

Israel has been holding peace talks with Abbas for the past year, while shunning the rival Hamas militant group's government in the Gaza Strip.

All prisoners set to be freed are members of Abbas' Fatah party.

Meanwhile, Palestinian Prisoners Minister Ashraf Al-Ajrami has confirmed that the prisoners will be released before the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha on December 8th.

Israeli cabinet ministers, however, have expressed mixed opinions regarding the move.

Some see it as an important gesture for strengthening relations with the Palestinians, while others believe it's a dangerous move that will make it harder to negotiate the release of an Israeli soldier who has been a captive in the Gaza Strip for over 2 years.

Currently, Israel holds more than 9,000 Palestinian prisoners.

Editor:Xiong Qu