Israel Frees 9 More Arab Prisoners in Aftermath of Bungled Attack

Israel released nine more Arab prisoners Monday as part of a deal cut with Jordan after a bungled Israeli attempt on the life of a Hamas leader in Amman, the Jordanian capital.

The prisoners, most of them Jordanian citizens, were flown by helicopter to Jordan, where they were expected to be placed in a Jordanian prison, Israeli Prison Authority spokeswoman Orit Messer-Harel said.

Moshe Fogel, spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, said Israel will free 50 to 60 prisoners as part of a swap worked out with Jordan.

Netanyahu has freed Sheik Ahmed Yassin, founder of the militant Muslim group Hamas, and 20 other Arab prisoners, most of whom had Jordanian passports.

In return for Israel’s prisoner releases, Jordan has freed two Israeli Mossad agents involved in the Sept. 25 attack on Hamas political strategist Khaled Meshaal.

Celebrating the release of Yassin, about 4,000 people attended a Hamas rally Monday at An Najah University in the West Bank. Ralliers burned the Israeli flag, and eight Hamas activists marched dressed as suicide bombers, wearing white death shrouds and belts with fake explosives.

None of the nine Arab prisoners released Monday was a Hamas member or had been involved in attacks on Israelis, Fogel said.

An Israeli Prison Authority list showed all except one of those freed were jailed on security offenses. They were serving 30-year sentences on charges such as possession of weapons or explosives and membership in terrorist groups.