(Gatestone Institute) Khaled Abu Toameh - The argument that the release of Palestinian prisoners boosts the standing of PA President Mahmoud Abbas and facilitates the resumption of peace talks with Israel is not necessarily true. Many Palestinians regard the Israeli move as something that Israel was supposed to have done anyway, many years ago. So the PA does not see the release of prisoners as a conciliatory move on the part of the Israeli government. Of course Abbas and Fatah will present the prisoner release as a "huge achievement" by Abbas. But some Palestinians, including Abbas loyalists, see the release as a "bribe" to entice Abbas to return to the talks. There are also Palestinians who see the release of 100 prisoners as a "minor" achievement compared to Hamas' success in securing the release of more than 1,000 inmates in return for kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.
2013-08-06 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive