Israeli officials confirmed Sunday that 87 Palestinian prisoners would be released Monday morning for the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan as a "gesture" to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, according to dpa. Israeli President Shimon Peres began the process of issuing pardons to the prisoners who were sentenced in civil courts, while the rest will be freed by military commanders. Barring an unexpected last-minute intervention by Israel's High Court, the prisoners, who are all members of leftist groups or the Fatah party and have no ties to the Islamic Hamas movement or the Islamic Jihad, will be set free at two major checkpoints, one in the West Bank and one outside Gaza. None of the prisoners are considered to have "blood on their hands," meaning they did not participate directly in killing Israelis. About one third of the prisoners receiving early release are from the Gaza Strip and the remainder from the West Bank. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he hopes that in the upcoming year the number of Palestinian "security prisoners" in Israeli prisons will decrease. Meanwhile, Olmert and Abbas will convene Wednesday morning in Jerusalem for their sixth meeting ahead of a US-sponsored international conference on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, expected to take place in November, spokesmen for both men said. In addition to usual private meetings between the two leaders, teams from both sides will also meet to prepare a "joint statement" for the conference, Israeli government spokesman David Baker said. Abbas has said on many occasions that he is looking for an "agreement" at the conference, while Olmert has been pushing for a less binding document.
