More than 300 Palestinian men walked free from Israeli military prisons yesterday to be snubbed by their own leaders but hailed by Ariel Sharon as evidence of Israel’s commitment to peace.
Sharon released 339 security prisoners, convicted of crimes such as throwing stones and membership of banned organisations, and ”administrative detainees” who rarely even know what it is they are accused of — only under pressure from the White House to bolster popular Palestinian support for the US-led road map to peace.
But the freed prisoners were not given the usual warm public reception by the Palestinian leadership. Instead, Yasser Arafat and others denounced the releases as a ”deceit” because so many of those freed were within months, weeks or even days of completing their sentences. And more to be freed in the coming days are car thieves and other common criminals.
None the less, Mohammed Dager was close to tears as he walked free just two months before completing a six-year prison sentence for membership of Hamas.
The first his wife, Siham, knew of his release was when she read his name in the newspapers two days ago. She only dared believe it was true when she received a phone call from her husband hours before he was freed.
Dager put a tie on her youngest son, who was born a week after his father was arrested, and fitted his sister into a white lace dress before heading to the army checkpoint on the edge of Ramallah.
When the bus carrying the first batch of prisoners finally came through three hours later, Mrs Dager only managed a brief touch of her husband’s hand before the vehicle pulled away for the heart of the city.
There, Mr Dager finally emerged, red-faced and emotional. He kissed his mother’s hand and she broke down in tears. Then he clasped his two young children to his chest.
”I’m deeply sorry because I only had two months to my release and the people who still have years to serve have not been released,” he said.
But it had not occurred to him to refuse his freedom, even when the Israelis made it a condition for the prisoners to sign a declaration agreeing not to enter Israel for three years or partake in ”illegal activities”. As each signed, he was videotaped by an Israeli soldier.
”I signed and I will obey it,” Dager said. ”They told us it meant we could not be involved in terror. For them, any political activity is terror. I am a preacher in the local mosque. Even if I preach now, I’m sure they will say I have to go back to prison.”
Dager would not go so far as to renounce his activities with Hamas but he clearly had no taste for further confrontation with the Israelis.
While the crowds in the heart of Ramallah wept, cheered and praised God, there was no sign of Arafat offering his usual speech claiming prisoner releases as another victory over occupation.
The Palestinian leadership shared none of Dager’s joy. The prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, fought hard for the prisoners’ release, in part to build his credibility with the Palestinian public. But he fell far short of his goal.
Abbas had demanded Israel free the bulk of the 6 000 Palestinians incarcerated in army jails. Under American pressure, Israel said it would release 540 prisoners ”who do not have blood on their hands”, including about 200 members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in an attempt to keep a five-week ceasefire alive.
But even that relatively low number fell further as a total of 339 were freed yesterday.
The Palestinian leadership was also angry that more than one-third of those let out by Israel yesterday would have completed their sentences in the coming months. Thirty-one of them were due for release by the end of August, and 10 before the end of this week.
In addition, the Israelis have arrested almost as many Palestinians since the beginning of the ceasefire five weeks ago as they released yesterday.
The Palestinian leadership cried foul. The only official on hand to observe the release was Ziad Abu Ein, himself a renowned prisoner of the Israelis at one time.
”Those who are released will surely enjoy themselves but the majority of Palestinians are not celebrating. This whole situation is very dangerous for the ceasefire,” he said.
”Most of the Palestinian prisoners are freedom fighters, fighters against Israel’s ugly terror campaign of occupation. They have the full right to defend themselves, their people, their country. If the Israelis want to make peace they should release all the prisoners.” – Guardian Unlimited Â