Almagor, the terror victims’ association, demanded Sunday that a committee of inquiry be established in order to find out who decided that Israel should give the Palestinian Authority the names of the suspects in the plot to assassinate Prime Minister Olmert.

“Past experience tells us that the Arabs do not just release terrorists,” ALMAGOR explained. “Rather, they make use of Israeli information in order to conduct their own investigations and find the ‘collaborators’ who helped Israel.”

VIDEO—President Shimon Peres on Monday evening signed for the reduction of the sentences of some 30 Gazan security prisoners without blood on their hands. The prisoners will be released Tuesday morning, bringing about the completion of the prisoner release process that was delayed on Monday.

The prisoners were meant to be released along with 56 West Bank prisoners, but the Israel Prison Service told Ynet the Gazans were not released following instructions “from above”.

The official reason given for the delay was “technical reasons,” but various government offices could not provide a more satisfying explanation.

On Monday, hundreds of Palestinians waited from the early hours of the morning at the Bituniya checkpoint near Ramallah for the return of West Bank prisoners who were released by Israel as a goodwill gesture to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

In Gaza, on the other hand, families of the prisoners returning to the Strip left the place disappointed by the delay in the release of their loved ones.

Video: Reuters. Editing: Tomer Barzida

At the end of the release process at the Bituniya checkpoint, the freed prisoners were driven to the Muqata’a in Ramallah, where hundreds of Palestinians had gathered.

The prisoners were welcomed by PA Secretary-General Tayeb Abdul Rahim and government ministers.

Some of the family member arrived at Bituniya checkpoint as early as 5 am, holding pictures of their loved ones and flags and pictures of Yasser Arafat and other faction leaders.

Fatah and PA officials arriving at Bituniya told the crowd that this release was just one small step, a drop in the ocean, as family members waited too see the buses bringing their loved ones home.

Disappointment in Gaza

Back in Gaza, Fatah officials such as Zakaria al-Agha, Ibrahim Abu al-Naja and other former ministers arrived at Erez crossing dressed in tailored suits, but quickly received reports of the delay in the release of Gazan prisoners.

Waving Palestinian flag at checkpoint (photo: AFP)

Hassan Hassanein, father of one of the prisoners who was supposed to be released on Monday, told Ynet, “I can’t describe my joy, this is a moment I’ve been waiting for for six years.”

Hassanein’s son Abdel Hadi was sentenced in November 2001 to 12 years in prison, and out of the prisoners on the list, he is considered to have the most prison time left to serve.

“I just pray that all the prisoners are released and not just my son.” Hassanein said, “I want all 11,000 prisoners to go free, this is why my joy is not complete, because my son is getting out but many others are left behind.”

Hassanein said he set up a tent in which he would host anyone coming to congratulate the family, saying, “This is a holiday, because despite everything, every prisoner released is an achievement and a great joy.”

Delayed by a few hours, Olmert’s gesture to Abbas—the release of 87 terrorist would-be murderers from Israeli prisons—has begun.

The 87 terrorists, none of whom actually succeeded in their attempts to murder Jews, are being released in keeping with a good-will “propping-up” gesture on the part of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his government towards Fatah/Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen). Olmert wishes to strengthen Abbas and Fatah, at the expense of Hamas, with the understanding that Hamas is a worse enemy. Hamas refuses to recognize Israel at all, while Fatah recognizes Israel, even as its members continue to take part in terrorist attacks against the Jewish state.

The Cabinet approved the release last week, over the objections of the Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Our Home) and Shas (Sephardic religious) parties, as well as that of Transportation Minister Sha’ul Mofaz (Kadima).

On Sunday, Supreme Court Justice Miriam Naor turned down a request by the Almagor Terror Victims Association to delay the release. Almagor termed the freeing of the terrorists a “grave danger to the citizens of Israel,” but Judge Naor was not convinced that this warranted judicial intervention in the government’s policies.

The Release

The release was to have been effected early this morning (Monday), but for reasons described as “technical,” the first busload of prisoners set out from Ketziot Prison only at 11:20 AM.

Nearly 30 terrorists are to be taken to the Erez Crossing leading into Gaza, if the additional “technical difficulties” are overcome, and another 58 will be brought to Ramallah. Official welcoming ceremonies will be held in Ramallah, but are not expected in Hamas-run Gaza; none of the freed terrorists are Hamas members.

Each of the prisoners is required to sign a commitment not to engage in terrorism in the future. Two months ago, when some 250 terrorists were released in another good-will gesture, one terrorist refused to sign, and was returned to jail. The Almagor organization has documented dozens of cases in which terrorists freed by Israel have returned to active terrorism.

Some of the prisoners had been sentenced to remain in jail until as late as 2012; one of them was arrested as early as 2002.

The release of 86 Palestinian security prisoners scheduled for early Monday morning was finally underway Monday noon after a several hours’ delay. In the first stage, 57 prisoners from the West Bank were sent by buses to the Bituniya crossing near Ramallah, where they were to cross over to the Palestinian side.

In the second stage, the 29 prisoners who are Gaza residents will be taken to the Erez crossing. One of the prisoners will remain in prison after it was discovered that he is a Hamas member.

No official reason was given for the delay Monday morning although it appears President Shimon Peres had delayed signing 26 pardons of prisoners who had been sentenced by a civilian court.

The IPS has transferred all the prisoners set to be freed to the Ktziot prison in the south during the last week. Before they are released, all the prisoners will undergo final identification and will have to sign a statement declaring they vow not to engage in terrorist activities ever again.

Prisoners awaiting release at Ktziot prison (Photo: AP)

Following this the prisoners will be taken by secured buses to the Bituniya crossing near Ramallah, where they will cross over to Palestinian Authority territory. The 29 prisoners who are Gaza residents will be transferred to the Erez crossing in the Strip.

Petition Against Release Rejected

The High Court of Justice rejected Sunday evening a petition filed by the Almagor Terror Victims Association to issue an injunction against the release of the prisoners. The groups claimed that the release constituted a “grave danger to the Israeli citizens.”

After the High Court decision was made public, Almagor appealed to Attorney General Menachem Mazuz in a bid to block the prisoner release.

Earlier Sunday, President Shimon Peres pardoned 26 of the prisoners. The prisoners were sentenced in Israeli civil courts and their release required the president’s pardon. The release of the remaining 61 prisoners hinges on a special pardon by IDF command chiefs because they were sentenced by military courts.

The prisoners’ release was made possible after the cabinet approved the move last week as a Ramadan goodwill gesture to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Most of the prisoners included in the list were scheduled to be freed by 2012.

Supreme Court Justice Miriam Naor has decided to reject a last-minute petition by the Almagor organization for victims of terrorism. The petition called for the planned release of 87 terrorist prisoners, many of them convicted of attempted murder, to be postponed until after a hearing on the matter.

Almagor has turned to Attorney General Menachem Mazuz as well, asking Mazuz to delay the release until after a hearing. “The release of terrorists like these—dangerous terrorists—who aren’t serving a life sentence only because they didn’t achieve their goals, is a serious danger to Israeli citizens,” the group said. The terrorists never expressed regret for their actions, Almagor spokesmen added, and are likely to continue their attempts to murder Israelis after being released.