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Israeli PM Fails to Release Palestinian Prisoners for Muslim Holiday
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1589D2D:A6F02AD83191E160E29E7D1985C93E969574F7DCC14957C0 Ehud Olmert hinted
last week during meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas he
would release handful of prisoners A spokesman for Israeli Prime
Minister Ehud Olmert says Mr. Olmert will not release any Palestinian
prisoners ahead of the upcoming Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.







Israeli PM Ehud Olmert, right, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud
Abbas, at Olmert's official residence in Jerusalem, 23 Dec. 2006Mr.
Olmert hinted last week during a meeting with Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas that he would release a handful of prisoners.

A Palestinian spokesman, Saeb Erekat, called the failure to release
the prisoners "unfortunate." Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shimon
Peres also criticized the decision not to go ahead with the prisoner
release.

Observers say the release could have boosted the standing of the
moderate Mr. Abbas, who is locked in a power struggle with the
hardline Hamas faction. But news reports out of Tel Aviv say Mr.
Olmert would not release any Palestinians until an abducted Israeli
soldier is released from captivity.

Militants linked to Hamas kidnapped Corporal Gilad Shalit back in June
after an attack on an Israeli military post near the Gaza Strip
border.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.


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