Officials in Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s office have confirmed reports that Olmert will grant pardons to 178 Fatah terrorists as a “gesture” to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. The terrorists, members of Fatah’s Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades, must first meet with PA security officials and sign forms promising not to take part in any more terrorist activities. They must also promise to drop out of the Brigades.
Israeli officials explained that if the terrorists agreed to sign the forms, they would then undergo a three-month “test period,” during which Israel would confirm that they had actually ceased participation in terrorist activities. All Fatah members who passed the test would automatically be removed from Israel’s “wanted” list, and would not be the targets of arrest or assassination.