Israeli government approves release of 441 Palestinian political prisoners

Monday November 19, 2007 15:03 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News

The Israeli cabinet has agreed to the release of 441 Palestinian political prisoners, Israeli media sources reported Monday.

Abbas -Olemrt file 2007

It is hoped that the move, a so-called 'goodwill gesture', will boost the standing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ahead of the upcoming Annapolis summit, scheduled for the last week of November.

Israeli officials indicated that none of those scheduled for release have been involved in attacks on Israeli civilians or military personnel, neither are they members of the Hamas or Islamic Jihad movements.

The 441 detainees to be release are but a small fraction of the at least 12,000 Palestinian political detainees being held without charge in Israeli detention centers.

Since the beginning of the year alone, Israeli authorities have abducted at least 2360 people, according to statistics published by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights.

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