Israel frees Palestinian prisoners as Rice visits

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel released nearly 200 prisoners into the West Bank Monday, a move it says is a goodwill gesture aimed at bolstering efforts to end decades of conflict in the region.

The prisoner release, which comes just hours before a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, is described by Israel as a measure to build confidence with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The 198 prisoners, including two convicted murderers whose inclusion has angered Israeli rights activists.

The Israeli Cabinet approved the release a week ago, after outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Abbas agreed on a list of names.

Israel stressed that the two murderers -- Mohammad Ibrahim Mahmoud Ali and Saeed Atba -- are not members of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad and have already served long prison sentences.

The government also noted that "the opinion of the security forces (is) that the risk resulting from their release is low."

The decision to release the two convicted killers was denounced by a Israeli victims' rights group, Almagor.

"The Israeli government is making a big mistake by releasing now terrorists, now with blood on their hands, the first time for many years," Almagor representative Meir Eindor said. "And the lesson to the region is ... that terror pay(s) off."

Eindor said that the move will actually weaken Abbas as a partner in peace.

"You (are) now putting him in a situation that he is the same like Hamas -- both of them want terrorists back in the yard."

The director for the Palestinian Center for Human Rights also expressed dissatisfaction with Israel's decision, saying: "It doesn't really mean anything."

"These 200, it takes Israel one week to 10 days to re-arrest them," Raji Sourani said.

The prisoner release comes amid pressure by the United States for Israel and the Palestinian Authority to secure a peace deal before the end of the year.

Analysts say it is unlikely that the two sides will overcome the key obstacles to reach a deal before President Bush leaves office. Olmert will step down as the Israeli leader next month after his Kadima party elects a new leader.

Israel has released hundreds of prisoners in the past in an effort to help bolster the stalled peace process.

It freed more than 440 detainees in December -- all aligned with Abbas' Fatah party -- days after the U.S. sponsored Annapolis summit in which Olmert and Abbas agreed to work toward an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal by the end of 2008.

Rice is scheduled to arrive in the Middle East on Monday to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders about the status of the peace process.

Speaking to CNN shortly after the government approved the deal, Regev said the prisoner release is "an important confidence-building measure" that Israel hopes will show the Palestinian people that Abbas' government "can in fact deliver much more for their own people than the extremists, than the terrorists ever can."

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