The Cabinet voted today, by a 13-9 margin, to allow the release of several hundred Arab prisoners who were not involved in terror attacks or who have been imprisoned for several decades. A ministerial committee has been formed, comprising Ministers Lapid, Mofaz, Orlev, Ezra and Hanegbi, and headed by Prime Minister Sharon, to oversee the release of the prisoners. The ministers voted twice on the issue, after the first vote ended in a tie, making for an awkward situation for Prime Minister Sharon. Justice Minister Yosef (Tommy) Lapid of Shinui came to Sharon's rescue, asking his party colleague Science Minister Modi Zandberg, formerly of the Likud, not to abstain but rather to vote in favor. Lapid said that for Israel to refuse to release terrorist prisoners would mean the end of the Road Map process and that Israel would be blamed. After a clause was added stipulating that the Palestinians must fulfill their obligations, and after the ministerial committee was formed, Zandberg and Minister Tzippy Livny of the Likud changed their abstentions to "yea," and the motion passed.
Government sources reported that there is no intention to release terrorists "with blood on their hands," members of Islamic Jihad or Hamas, or those who the Shabak feels will perpetrate further terrorist crimes. Other criteria under consideration are whether the terrorist crimes were committed before of after the Oslo Accords were signed, and not to release those who live in PA-controlled areas. Among the over 6,000 prisoners imprisoned in Israel, 2,048 have been arrested in the past 15 months, and 271 are suicide terrorists who did not blow up.
Attorney-General Elyakim Rubenstein instructed the Prime Minister to publicize the names of those who are to be released 48 hours in advance, in order to enable those who wish to sue against the decision in the Supreme Court.
Senior PA official Hisham Abdel Rizak resorted to threats once again. He said that if Israel does not release all the terrorists demanded by the PA, including those who actually murdered Jews, "we will see this as a reason to withdraw from the hudna agreement." He said that in such a case, the PA will withdraw from the Road Map negotiations. Hamas and Islamic Jihad, too, threatened that if Israel does not release their prisoners during the three-month hudna period, they will be free to end the cease-fire. It should be noted that the terrorist organizations do not appear anxious to end the hudna before three months have passed; see next story.
Members of families of terrorist victims held a protest vigil outside the Prime Minister's Office. They demanded that terrorists not be released.
The Prime Minister received this morning a list of terrorists that the GSS feels can be released. The GSS excludes from this list those who have murdered or caused severe wounds, those who have recently entered prison, and those who belong to Hamas or Islamic Jihad.
Legal commentator Moshe Negbi, well known for presenting a left-wing view of legal issues in Israel,
surprised many this morning by saying that Israel should not release even those terrorists whose attacks against civilians did not result in deaths. He said that terror attacks of that nature constitute "war crimes" and that those guilty of such attacks should not be released.