Palestinian Authority Undersecretary for the Ministry of Prisoners Affairs Riad Abu Ain said Tuesday that the PA had rejected a list of 256 terrorist prisoners to be released by Israel. Abu Ain said the list was rejected because the PA had no input in determining which terrorists would be released, and added that the list “is not serving the Palestinian national interest.”
Israeli authorities have gone forward with their plan to release the terrorists despite PA objections, Abu Aid said. Israeli politicians have expressed hope that the release will strengthen PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, as they prefer his Fatah terrorist group to Hamas. The Prisons service published the list of terrorists to be released on Tuesday afternoon, and it will appear on the prisons service website for 48 hours.