The Israeli military was delivering the bodies of 15 extremists to the Palestinians for burial Monday, a day after Israel's Cabinet approved the names of 500 prisoners to be released and security commanders prepared for the handover of a West Bank town to Palestinian control. The latest good-will gesture, part of a package agreed on at last week's Mideast summit, came as Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas told The New York Times the war with Israel is effectively over and that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is speaking "a different language" to the Palestinians. Meanwhile, Israeli President Moshe Katsav said Monday he favors detaining some Jewish extremists without trial or charges, in so-called administrative detention. Katsav spoke in response to a wave of threats against government ministers who support the Gaza withdrawal.
