Release of Palestinian prisoners to be delayed, Israeli government source says

Bethlehem – Ma'an – The Israeli government will to immediately implement on a plan to release a hundred Palestinian prisoners, as promised by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at his most recent meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a source close to Olmert said Saturday

Comment: Notice why the PA wants it delayed-they are not able to get what they want on a written document-so, delay, put pressure on USA to turn around and pressure Olmert-he will cave in to Bush et al. Watch!
Relatives of the Palestinian prisoners demonstratein Gaza City in January [Ma'anImages]
Bethlehem – Ma'an – The Israeli government will to immediately implement on a plan to release a hundred Palestinian prisoners, as promised by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at his most recent meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a source close to Olmert said Saturday.A prisoner release, according to the sources, is likely to be delayed rather than cancelled. Olmert had pledged to ask his cabinet to approve a prisoner release as a goodwill gesture for the holy month of Ramadan.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Olmert removed the issue from the agenda for Sunday's cabinet meeting fearing that he could not garner enough support for the measure.The Palestinian minister for prisoners' affairs, Ashraf Eid Al-Ajrami told Ma'an that the release of only a hundred Fatah prisoners does not even meet the minimum that Palestinian negotiators have demanded.Al-Ajrami said that Israel because is preoccupied with a potential major military operation in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, a 'good will' gesture such as a prisoner release is not expected.

"Israel talks too much about good will while things take a different path, which is the erection of additional checkpoints and more tightening and restrictions on the daily life of the Palestinians," Al-Ajrami said.He continued: "I think they will set free a hundred detainees, however, the problem is that whether they do it or not, it is a very tiny conduct. The issue of detainees has always been avoided by the Israelis during negotiations."