Sadness and anger in Jerusalem (Photo credit: Lior Mizrahi)

Israel freed 26 Palestinian prisoners late Monday night in the third of four agreed-upon releases. Israel pledged to release a total of 104 prisoners as part of the deal last July to renew peace talks with the Palestinians.

All of the security prisoners included in the third release were jailed prior to the 1993 Oslo Accords. They were all convicted of murdering Israelis and had served between 19 and 28 years in prison.

Some 18 inmates released from Ofer Prison were bused to Ramallah through the Bitunia checkpoint; three prisoners were transported to the Gaza Strip via Erez crossing, and five others were released to their homes in east Jerusalem.

Elation in Ramallah (Photo credit: AP)

The third stage of the prisoner release, like the two previous ones, met with fierce opposition from terror victims’ families. The Almagor Terror Victims Association filed a High Court of Justice petition seeking an injunction against the move, saying that including five terrorists who resided in east Jerusalem and carried Israeli IDs merely added insult to injury.

“Releasing residents of Jerusalem by claiming that they are only ‘Israeli residents’ and not ‘Israeli citizens’ is a wisecrack move,” the petition said.

The court denied the petition saying such matters were at the sole discretion of the government: “I see no legal grounds for the court to interfere in the [government’s] decision to go ahead with the third prisoners’ release,” Justice Zvi Zylbertal wrote in the ruling.

Justice Elyakim Rubinstein, who opposed the release, noted in a minority opinion that the court could have issued in injunction concerning the five prisoners meant to be released to east Jerusalem, pending another government review of their case.

Some 150 people, friends and relatives of terror victims, staged a protest rally on Monday night, marching from the Prime Minister’s Residence to the Old City and carrying black umbrellas and photos of some of the victims.

The march was approved only after a short legal battle: The bereaved families sought to march from the Prime Minister’s Residence to the Muslim Quarter in Jerusalem’s Old City, where they wanted to stage a protest across from the home of one of the released terrorists. The Jerusalem Police denied the requests citing security concerns, which prompted representatives of the bereaved families to file a High Court petition.

The families and the police were eventually able to reach a compromise by which the protesters were allowed to march up to the Western Wall plaza and from there only 15 people were allowed to approach the terrorist’s home, where they staged a short protest rally.

“We feel that releasing terrorists, especially those from east Jerusalem, is a slap in the face,” Ortal Tamam, whose uncle Moshe Tamam was abducted and murdered in 1984, told reporters. “We will fight it tooth and nail, and if it happens we will fight to have any rights they might have as residents of east Jerusalem revoked.”

Another protester remarked: “This is a dark day for the State of Israel. I’m ashamed of my country today, for abandoning the bereaved families and the public’s security.”

According to Army Radio, dozens of right-wing activists joined the rally. “This is a national disgrace,” one of them was quoted as saying. “These terrorists are killing Jews. Putting them in jail means nothing if all we do is release them.”

Prisoners Receive Heroes’ Welcome

“This day is a happy day for all of us, for our people, for our families, and for our hero prisoners who were freed today to live free. They were also free in the prisons,” Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Monday night, in a special reception held for the freed prisoners in Ramallah.

Abbas greeted each of the prisoners released to the West Bank personally. “We will not sign a final peace deal with Israel before all the prisoners are released,” he said.

The release coincided with Palestinian Authority celebrations marking the 49th anniversary of the founding of Fatah, and PA officials, as well as family members and thousands of supporters, jubilantly welcomed the return those they regard as national heroes.

Smaller celebrations were also held in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented Tuesday on the prisoners’ release, saying: “The essence of the difference between us and out neighbors can be seen in one image. While we are willing to take very painful steps in an attempt to reach a peace deal that would end the conflict, they—along with their senior leadershipmdash;are celebrating.

“Murderers are not heroes. That is no way to educate for peace. That is no way to strike peace. Peace can be achieved only after the education promoting incitement and the destruction of Israel will cease.”

Netanyahu stressed that, “Peace will be possible only when we ensure our own security and settlement interests. There will be peace only if we can defend ourselves, by ourselves, against any threat.”