More than 300 Palestinian men walked free from Israeli military prisons this week to be snubbed by their own leaders but hailed by Israeli Prime Minister 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 United States-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.
Nonetheless, Mohammed Dager was close to tears as he walked free just two months before completing a six-year prison sentence for membership of Hamas. ”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 participate in ”illegal activities”. As each signed, he was videotaped by an Israeli soldier. ”I signed and I will obey it,” Dager said.
The Palestinian leadership shared none of Dager’s joy. 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 US pressure, Israel said it would release 540 prisoners ”who do not have blood on their hand”, 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 was freed on Wednesday.
The Palestinian leadership was also angry that more than a third of those released this week 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.
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. — Â