Israel Releases 450 Arabs for Ramadan

Israel released about 450 Arab prisoners from jail Wednesday and hinted that more such gestures would be forthcoming if the Palestinian uprising abated, but the former prisoners predicted that the battle would go on.

Israeli officials took the unprecedented step of inviting reporters to witness the release, which took place in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. The event coincided with the arrival of Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir in Washington for his first face-to-face meeting with President Bush today.

Muslim Holy Month

Bush has been pressing for both the Israelis and Palestinians to reduce friction in the occupied territories. Although Israeli officials billed the prisoner release as a holiday gesture timed with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan--which begins Friday--they suggested that further steps might be on the way, in line with the Bush Administration’s requests.

“If we see that tension is reduced, we see no reason not to take measures to restore normal life in the territories,” said Col. Ranaan Gissin, the spokesman for the Israeli army. Gissin singled out the reopening of schools as a possible step if calm comes to the West Bank and Gaza.

Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin played down the coincidence of Shamir’s visit and the prisoner release.

“We wanted, by this gesture, to deliver a message to the Palestinians in the territories that we bear in mind (their) holy days,” he said. “Hopefully, they understand that we would like to see tranquillity restored, and we can do it on the one hand by force, on the other hand by gestures.”

In all, about 450 prisoners were freed to go to their homes, in the largest such pre-holiday release of detainees by the Israeli authorities. In Beit Jala, however, where 106 inmates were freed, most appeared to have been scheduled to get out shortly anyway--something the prisoners remarked on in defiant comments to reporters.

‘Let Out All Prisoners’

“If they really want peace, they should let out all the prisoners,” said Ali, 19, from Abu Dis, a village near Jerusalem. Ali said his release was originally scheduled for today.

“This is all a big movie,” remarked Rami, a companion from Abu Dis.

Many of the prisoners had been detained without trial for periods approaching six months; some were serving longer sentences meted out in court. In Gaza, prisoners as young as 13 were released, Israel government radio said.

Israel still holds more than 5,000 suspected participants in the uprising.

Released prisoners destined for West Bank towns and villages were driven in buses from Ketziot prison, in the far south, to a police station in Beit Jala, next to Bethlehem. There, Israeli army officers gave them oranges, soft drinks and a farewell lecture on ending the uprising.

“Violence no doubt has an adverse effect on the population . . . ,” said an Israeli colonel reading from a prepared speech.

Tormented ‘With a Speech’

Marwan, a bearded 22-year-old who had been jailed five times since the uprising began in December, 1987, murmured disapproval. “They keep us in that hot jail, give us bad food, now they torment us with a speech . . . ,” he grumbled.

” . . . Most of the population is not active in the violence . . . ,” the colonel continued.

“We want our own flag, our own president . . . ,” Marwan continued in a whisper.

“Choose for yourself a different road. We wish you a pleasant (Ramadan) festival,” the colonel concluded.

” . . . I will probably be in jail in a month,” Marwan said.

According to late reports from the West Bank and Gaza, soldiers shot and wounded two Arabs in the occupied lands, including a 13-year-old in a stone-throwing clash near the Balata refugee camp in the West Bank.