PA requesting that Israel release dozens of prisoners

Abbas reportedly asked that jailed Palestinians be released as good will gesture to help talks move forward; Israel yet to respond.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Poor Palestinian prisoners 224.88 (photo credit: AP [file])
Poor Palestinian prisoners 224.88
(photo credit: AP [file])
The Palestinian Authority has asked Israel to immediately release dozens of political prisoners incarcerated in Israeli prisons as a good will gesture that will help give peace talks between the sides momentum going forward, Israel Radio reported on Sunday.
Mounir Mansour, the head of the Palestinian Prisoners Committee, said that Israel has yet to respond to the Palestinian Authority's request.
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Mansour said that PA President Mahmoud Abbas wants to successfully broker the release of Palestinian prisoners in order to improve his image on the Palestinian street which would give him a mandate to continue peace talks with Israel.
He added that this would only constitute an intermediary measure and that in a final peace agreement the Palestinian Authority would expect the release of all 7,000 Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli prisons.
Mansour stated that the release of all Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails as part of an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement would be independent of any deal to release kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Schalit.