RAMALLAH Israel released 429 Palestinian prisoners in a conciliatory gesture following the peace talks in Annapolis last week.

Most of the prisoners belong to the Fatah party of President Abbas. Israel says that they were involved in the intifada in 2000 and were serving sentences of up to 15 years. There are nearly 11,000 prisoners held in Israeli jails.

“Israel understands it is crucial to reinforce the political dialogue by concrete actions on the ground,” Mark Regev, an Israeli government spokesman, said. “We are hopeful that the release will help to contribute to the growing momentum in the political dialogue between us and the Palestinians.”

The prisoners were taken from the prison at Kitsiyot, southern Israel, to the borders with the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Israel hopes that the prisoner release will strengthen Mr Abbas against the rival Hamas party, which rejects peace talks.

“The Israelis need to release those with long sentences to show they are serious about the peace process,” Tayeb Abdel-Rahim, a Palestinian presidential aide, said.

“President Abbas has exerted maximum effort to keep the prisoner issue on top of the world’s agenda.” (Reuters)

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