VOA News
23 Jul 2003, 17:02 UTC
Israel has approved the release of more than 350 Palestinian prisoners, but says the release of members of Palestinian militant groups will have to wait.
The prisoners are to be freed gradually in the coming days.
But Israel says a decision on releasing members of Islamic Jihad and Hamas who have not been implicated in attacks on Israel will not come until after a debate and vote by all government ministers.
Israel's decision not to free militants from among the more than 6,000 Palestinian prisoners it holds is a political blow to Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas.
Mr. Abbas had hoped to secure the release of some militants in order to ensure that a three-month truce signed by the main militant groups halting attacks on Israel would hold.
Hamas official Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi blasted Israel's decision not to release any militants and hinted at retaliation, saying Israel would be responsible for what might happen.
Earlier Wednesday, Palestinian Information Minister Nabil Amr said that Mr. Abbas could face a political crisis at home if he returns from Washington empty-handed on the prisoner issue and other parts of the so-called "road map" peace plan.
Mr. Abbas has been invited to meet with President Bush at the White House on Friday for talks on the peace process.
In addition to the prisoner issue, he is likely to discuss the freezing of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Israeli troop withdrawals from Palestinian towns.
Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.
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