Release of Palestinian Prisoners Fulfills Agreement, Israel Says

Israel released more Palestinian prisoners Thursday and said it had fulfilled its agreement with the Palestine Liberation Organization to free about 5,000, although hundreds of Islamic activists remained behind bars.

Israel’s representative on a joint security committee with the PLO, Brig. Gen. Yomtov Samya, said the number of prisoners freed or in a “released” status since the May 4 accord on Palestinian autonomy was more than 4,900.

“Therefore, unequivocally the security committee, in the opinion of both sides, clarifies that Israel has upheld the Cairo agreement for the release of about 5,000 prisoners,” Samya said.

A Palestinian official on the committee said that 650 members of Islamic groups opposed to the self-rule accord were slated to be freed Thursday but had spurned Israeli conditions.

“Had these 650 people from the Islamic groups signed, they would have been released today,” said Samir Siksik, a Palestinian member of the committee, referring to a written renunciation of violence.

“We had all the arrangements ready for them. I think in all fairness, the Israeli side has tried to see the agreement fulfilled,” Siksik told Israel Radio.

Under the Israel-PLO accord, Israel agreed to release or turn over to the PLO about 5,000 Palestinian prisoners of an estimated 9,600 held by the Jewish state.

Palestinians said they expected Israel to release 1,000 prisoners Thursday. But the radio said only 170 were let go.

Although 650 Islamic activists stayed in jail, dozens of other members of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad group--the PLO’s main rivals in the Gaza Strip--were freed Thursday, released prisoners said.

Saiyed Abu Misameh, 50, a former top Hamas leader freed after three years in jail, told reporters that the group had been opposed to pledging support for the peace deal.

But he said Hamas had subsequently ordered followers to sign a modified version of the Israeli document that deleted references to the peace accord.