- 13 mei 2000
Shooting angers Israeli Arabs
-
Maria 16-17 mei 2000
Palestine negotiator quits
17 mei 2000
This week's explosion of violence in the West Bank and Gaza - (so far) has left three dead, hundreds wounded
Israel halts land handover in wake of riots
-
Maria 19 mei 2000
Israeli bomb threat risked peace
26 oct 1999
Palestinians queue to use safe route to West Bank
Some were going to see family and friends, some were going in search of work, and some were simply going to get out of Gaza, a place many Palestinians complain has become like a prison since the 1993 Oslo peace accords.
With the long-awaited opening yesterday of a southern safe passage between Gaza and the West Bank, about 1,500 Gazans queued at the crossing point with Israel to become the first Palestinians to use the road linking the two autonomous areas.
"I'm going just to breathe the air," said Said Lasda, 23, when asked about his destination on the 27 mile safe passage route, which runs from the northern border of Gaza to Tarqumiya near Hebron.
Since the start of the peace process, Palestinians have had to obtain special permits to enter Israel, and they are usually issued for work only. Young men like Mr Lasada, considered by Israel to be more likely to join militant groups than older labourers with families, are not eligible to receive such work permits.
Now, five years after the route was first promised, he finally has the opportunity to visit uncles, aunts and cousins he has not seen in more than five years.
"It's going to be wonderful," he said, as Palestinian security officers hustled him and a dozen others down the line. Under the deal with Israel the travellers must arrive at the other side in two hours or face questioning.
Israel still maintains veto power over who can use the route, and will keep track electronically of who comes and goes.
Many anxious teenagers, clutching their shiny new magnetic cards issued by Israel in one hand and overnight duffel bags in the other, had never left Gaza before.
For Mohammed Ghanem, a 19-year-old policeman for the Palestinian Authority, it was his first chance to set foot outside poor, crowded Gaza."Now I can see my homeland," he said.
The opening of the first of two safe passage routes - a northern road between Gaza and Ramallah has still to be worked out by negotiators- is a coup for Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader, and is one of several signs that the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Barak, is reviving the peace process.
The foreign secretary, Robin Cook, who is visiting the region and is planning to travel the route today, said the opening "demonstrates that the peace process is ... providing real benefits to the people of the region".
But some Palestinians were critical that Israel would keep ultimate control over the route. So far, about 80 people have been barred on the grounds of being security risks. "Why should we have to show a card?" complained one man waiting in line. "The agreement says it's supposed to be free for everyone."
The agreement, in fact, refers to two passages between the West Bank and Gaza "for the movement of persons, vehicles and goods", but allows Israel to have control over the territory and issue permits.
The 1995 Oslo II deal, long postponed due to stalemate in the peace process, grew out of the original 1993 Declaration of Principles, which promised to recognise the West Bank and Gaza as though they were one territorial unit.
That promise has raised reservations among Israelis, who fear that militant Palestinians could use the routes to infiltrate Israel and launch terror attacks. But Israel's border police will stand guard, and Palestinian buses and taxis will not be permitted to stop.
Shimon Cohen, the mayor of Ashkelon Beach, said residents were worried about having so much Palestinian traffic running by their neighbourhoods each day.
"There is a concern, but we understand that traffic will be directed without possibilities for drivers to exit the road," he said.
Aryeh Ramot Shifman, director-general of Israel's public security ministry, said the first route could help improve the quality of life and economy for average Palestinians. "We see the passage as a passage of peace," he said in an inaugural ceremony.
Jamil Tarifi, the Palestinian minister of civil affairs, said the road signalled a better day for Palestinian autonomy: "We think this will achieve many gains for our people, for freedom of movement between the West Bank and Gaza, and for connecting areas of Palestine. We hope this passage will be an expression of hopes for peace on both sides."
In another signal of movement on the peace front yesterday, Mr Barak cleared the way for one of Israel's biggest guerrilla enemies, Nayef Hawatmeh, to enter Palestinian-ruled areas in the West Bank and Gaza because he appeared ready for peace.
Mr Hawatmeh, 63, heads the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) - meaning that Israel's gesture is directed not only at the Palestinians but also at Damascus. There have been strong signs of warmer relations between Syria and Israel in recent months.
Israel said it was acting on a request from the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, with whom Mr Hawatmeh - though an opponent of the Oslo accords on Palestinian autonomy - opened reconciliation talks in Cairo in August. The United States then dropped the DFLP from its terrorist list.
Mr Barak's move sparked criticism from rightwing Israelis because his group was behind a 1974 massacre of 24 Israeli schoolchildren.
Maria 27 oct 1999
International roundup
Security men held in Cook row
Robin Cook's visit to Jerusalem ended yesterday with a row between Israeli and Palestinian security men, each claiming the right to guard the foreign secretary.
The Israeli policed detained two Palestinian bodyguards working for a Palestinian official, Faisal al-Husseini, at the American Colony hotel after an attack on an Israeli security man accompanying Mr Cook.
Earlier yesterday Mr Cook visited the newly opened safe passage between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, praising it as a symbolic step toward "a Palestine of free people".
He was taken to the Erez Crossing, the starting point of the route, which opened on Monday, four years behind schedule.
The 28-mile route allows Palestinians for the first time to travel relatively freely between the two autonomous areas at the opposites sides of Israel, in which the Palestinians eventually hope to establish their state.
He also visited the Deir el Balah refugee camp, a temporary home to 16,000 people in central Gaza, where he saw a school and a UN clinic.
He said the camp's squalid conditions showed that the refugee crisis must be resolved "as part of any just and comprehensive peace settlement". Agencies
Palestinians queue to use safe route to West Bank
Some were going to see family and friends, some were going in search of work, and some were simply going to get out of Gaza, a place many Palestinians complain has become like a prison since the 1993 Oslo peace accords.
With the long-awaited opening yesterday of a southern safe passage between Gaza and the West Bank, about 1,500 Gazans queued at the crossing point with Israel to become the first Palestinians to use the road linking the two autonomous areas.
"I'm going just to breathe the air," said Said Lasda, 23, when asked about his destination on the 27 mile safe passage route, which runs from the northern border of Gaza to Tarqumiya near Hebron.
Since the start of the peace process, Palestinians have had to obtain special permits to enter Israel, and they are usually issued for work only. Young men like Mr Lasada, considered by Israel to be more likely to join militant groups than older labourers with families, are not eligible to receive such work permits.
Now, five years after the route was first promised, he finally has the opportunity to visit uncles, aunts and cousins he has not seen in more than five years.
"It's going to be wonderful," he said, as Palestinian security officers hustled him and a dozen others down the line. Under the deal with Israel the travellers must arrive at the other side in two hours or face questioning.
Israel still maintains veto power over who can use the route, and will keep track electronically of who comes and goes.
Many anxious teenagers, clutching their shiny new magnetic cards issued by Israel in one hand and overnight duffel bags in the other, had never left Gaza before.
For Mohammed Ghanem, a 19-year-old policeman for the Palestinian Authority, it was his first chance to set foot outside poor, crowded Gaza."Now I can see my homeland," he said.
The opening of the first of two safe passage routes - a northern road between Gaza and Ramallah has still to be worked out by negotiators- is a coup for Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader, and is one of several signs that the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Barak, is reviving the peace process.
The foreign secretary, Robin Cook, who is visiting the region and is planning to travel the route today, said the opening "demonstrates that the peace process is ... providing real benefits to the people of the region".
But some Palestinians were critical that Israel would keep ultimate control over the route. So far, about 80 people have been barred on the grounds of being security risks. "Why should we have to show a card?" complained one man waiting in line. "The agreement says it's supposed to be free for everyone."
The agreement, in fact, refers to two passages between the West Bank and Gaza "for the movement of persons, vehicles and goods", but allows Israel to have control over the territory and issue permits.
The 1995 Oslo II deal, long postponed due to stalemate in the peace process, grew out of the original 1993 Declaration of Principles, which promised to recognise the West Bank and Gaza as though they were one territorial unit.
That promise has raised reservations among Israelis, who fear that militant Palestinians could use the routes to infiltrate Israel and launch terror attacks. But Israel's border police will stand guard, and Palestinian buses and taxis will not be permitted to stop.
Shimon Cohen, the mayor of Ashkelon Beach, said residents were worried about having so much Palestinian traffic running by their neighbourhoods each day.
"There is a concern, but we understand that traffic will be directed without possibilities for drivers to exit the road," he said.
Aryeh Ramot Shifman, director-general of Israel's public security ministry, said the first route could help improve the quality of life and economy for average Palestinians. "We see the passage as a passage of peace," he said in an inaugural ceremony.
Jamil Tarifi, the Palestinian minister of civil affairs, said the road signalled a better day for Palestinian autonomy: "We think this will achieve many gains for our people, for freedom of movement between the West Bank and Gaza, and for connecting areas of Palestine. We hope this passage will be an expression of hopes for peace on both sides."
In another signal of movement on the peace front yesterday, Mr Barak cleared the way for one of Israel's biggest guerrilla enemies, Nayef Hawatmeh, to enter Palestinian-ruled areas in the West Bank and Gaza because he appeared ready for peace.
Mr Hawatmeh, 63, heads the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) - meaning that Israel's gesture is directed not only at the Palestinians but also at Damascus. There have been strong signs of warmer relations between Syria and Israel in recent months.
Israel said it was acting on a request from the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, with whom Mr Hawatmeh - though an opponent of the Oslo accords on Palestinian autonomy - opened reconciliation talks in Cairo in August. The United States then dropped the DFLP from its terrorist list.
Mr Barak's move sparked criticism from rightwing Israelis because his group was behind a 1974 massacre of 24 Israeli schoolchildren.
Maria 27 oct 1999
International roundup
Security men held in Cook row
Robin Cook's visit to Jerusalem ended yesterday with a row between Israeli and Palestinian security men, each claiming the right to guard the foreign secretary.
The Israeli policed detained two Palestinian bodyguards working for a Palestinian official, Faisal al-Husseini, at the American Colony hotel after an attack on an Israeli security man accompanying Mr Cook.
Earlier yesterday Mr Cook visited the newly opened safe passage between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, praising it as a symbolic step toward "a Palestine of free people".
He was taken to the Erez Crossing, the starting point of the route, which opened on Monday, four years behind schedule.
The 28-mile route allows Palestinians for the first time to travel relatively freely between the two autonomous areas at the opposites sides of Israel, in which the Palestinians eventually hope to establish their state.
He also visited the Deir el Balah refugee camp, a temporary home to 16,000 people in central Gaza, where he saw a school and a UN clinic.
He said the camp's squalid conditions showed that the refugee crisis must be resolved "as part of any just and comprehensive peace settlement". Agencies
14 sept 1999
Palestinians and Israelis launch final status talks
Israel and the Palestinians launched their final status peace negotiations last night in celebratory mood, relishing the challenges ahead in spite of a daunting series of deadlines they have set for themselves and the adoption of tough opposing positions on the issues of Jerusalem and refugees.
The ceremony to launch the third attempt to push the six-year Oslo process towards its conclusion took place at the Erez crossing point on the border between Israel and the Palestinian Authority-ruled Gaza Strip.
Leading the Palestinian talks team is Mahmoud Abbas, No 2 to Yasser Arafat. His counterpart is the Israeli foreign minister, David Levy. The US Middle East envoy, Dennis Ross, and the European Union envoy, Miguel Moratinos, were present to underline international commitment to finding a solution to the conflict.
Earlier, at an Israeli military camp near Ramallah in the West Bank, Israel transferred control of 16 civilian areas to the Palestinians as the first instalment of the relaunched Wye River agreement.
Under the deal signed this month by Mr Arafat and the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Barak, the negotiators will aim to put together the framework of a final deal by February 15, taking into account the nature of a Palestinian entity, the status of Jerusalem, the fate of the 3.6m Palestinian refugees living abroad and the future of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza.
They will then have to give this framework its permanent shape by September 2000.
On Sunday Mr Barak said Israel might offer the Palestinians a provisional state next February if it became clear that a settlement was not attainable within the year. Long-term "interim arrangements" that left undecided the status of Jerusalem and the fate of the refugees would be better than no deal at all, he said.
In Cairo the same day Mr Arafat told an Arab League meeting: "There is no home for the Palestinians except Palestine... There will be no peace without a holy and free Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state."
Palestinians strongly oppose any further interim accords and intend to declare statehood next September if the talks fail.
The Palestinian information minister, Yasser Abed Rabbo, who is expected to play a leading role in the negotiations, said Mr Barak's proposal to work out another set of interim agreements "makes us laugh". He said the Palestinians' right to statehood was backed by UN resolutions.
The opening positions therefore remain as far apart as on September 13 1993, when Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation recognised each other with the famous handshake between Mr Arafat and the then Israeli prime minister, Yitzhak Rabin, on the White House lawn.
The Palestinians want to establish a state in all of the West Bank and Gaza, with east Jerusalem as its capital. As well as the repatriation of Palestinian refugees, they demand the dismantling of Jewish settlements unwilling to remain under Palestinian sovereignty.
Israel wants to annex large parts of the West Bank and Gaza to keep a majority of the 200,000 settlers under its rule. It says it will never relinquish parts of Jerusalem and will not permit the return of refugees to areas under its sovereignty.
Possible solutions have surfaced over the years, notably in talks in 1995 between Mr Abbas and Yossi Beilin, an architect of Oslo. Under their blueprint - never acknowledged by the PLO - Israel would accept a demilitarised Palestinian state in most of the West Bank and Gaza.
In exchange, the Palestinians would agree to Israel's annexation of about 10% of the West Bank, and would drop demands for a capital in east Jerusalem. Instead, a capital would be set up in Abu Dis, a West Bank Jerusalem suburb where a parliamentary building is already being built.
Both sides would agree to talk about east Jerusalem at a later date. In exchange for the annexed West Bank land - which would bring 70% of the settlers under Israeli rule - Israel would give the Palestinians additional territory near the Gaza Strip.
The refugees would resettle in the Palestinian state, but those choosing to remain in neighbouring Arab countries would be compensated with international help.
Mr Beilin said at the time that the two sides felt the proposals could serve as a basis for negotiations, but Mr Barak's decision to move him to the justice ministry suggests the prime minister finds his terms too generous.
Palestinians and Israelis launch final status talks
Israel and the Palestinians launched their final status peace negotiations last night in celebratory mood, relishing the challenges ahead in spite of a daunting series of deadlines they have set for themselves and the adoption of tough opposing positions on the issues of Jerusalem and refugees.
The ceremony to launch the third attempt to push the six-year Oslo process towards its conclusion took place at the Erez crossing point on the border between Israel and the Palestinian Authority-ruled Gaza Strip.
Leading the Palestinian talks team is Mahmoud Abbas, No 2 to Yasser Arafat. His counterpart is the Israeli foreign minister, David Levy. The US Middle East envoy, Dennis Ross, and the European Union envoy, Miguel Moratinos, were present to underline international commitment to finding a solution to the conflict.
Earlier, at an Israeli military camp near Ramallah in the West Bank, Israel transferred control of 16 civilian areas to the Palestinians as the first instalment of the relaunched Wye River agreement.
Under the deal signed this month by Mr Arafat and the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Barak, the negotiators will aim to put together the framework of a final deal by February 15, taking into account the nature of a Palestinian entity, the status of Jerusalem, the fate of the 3.6m Palestinian refugees living abroad and the future of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza.
They will then have to give this framework its permanent shape by September 2000.
On Sunday Mr Barak said Israel might offer the Palestinians a provisional state next February if it became clear that a settlement was not attainable within the year. Long-term "interim arrangements" that left undecided the status of Jerusalem and the fate of the refugees would be better than no deal at all, he said.
In Cairo the same day Mr Arafat told an Arab League meeting: "There is no home for the Palestinians except Palestine... There will be no peace without a holy and free Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state."
Palestinians strongly oppose any further interim accords and intend to declare statehood next September if the talks fail.
The Palestinian information minister, Yasser Abed Rabbo, who is expected to play a leading role in the negotiations, said Mr Barak's proposal to work out another set of interim agreements "makes us laugh". He said the Palestinians' right to statehood was backed by UN resolutions.
The opening positions therefore remain as far apart as on September 13 1993, when Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation recognised each other with the famous handshake between Mr Arafat and the then Israeli prime minister, Yitzhak Rabin, on the White House lawn.
The Palestinians want to establish a state in all of the West Bank and Gaza, with east Jerusalem as its capital. As well as the repatriation of Palestinian refugees, they demand the dismantling of Jewish settlements unwilling to remain under Palestinian sovereignty.
Israel wants to annex large parts of the West Bank and Gaza to keep a majority of the 200,000 settlers under its rule. It says it will never relinquish parts of Jerusalem and will not permit the return of refugees to areas under its sovereignty.
Possible solutions have surfaced over the years, notably in talks in 1995 between Mr Abbas and Yossi Beilin, an architect of Oslo. Under their blueprint - never acknowledged by the PLO - Israel would accept a demilitarised Palestinian state in most of the West Bank and Gaza.
In exchange, the Palestinians would agree to Israel's annexation of about 10% of the West Bank, and would drop demands for a capital in east Jerusalem. Instead, a capital would be set up in Abu Dis, a West Bank Jerusalem suburb where a parliamentary building is already being built.
Both sides would agree to talk about east Jerusalem at a later date. In exchange for the annexed West Bank land - which would bring 70% of the settlers under Israeli rule - Israel would give the Palestinians additional territory near the Gaza Strip.
The refugees would resettle in the Palestinian state, but those choosing to remain in neighbouring Arab countries would be compensated with international help.
Mr Beilin said at the time that the two sides felt the proposals could serve as a basis for negotiations, but Mr Barak's decision to move him to the justice ministry suggests the prime minister finds his terms too generous.
10 sept 1999
Israel frees 199 Palestinian prisoners
Israel yesterday made good on its relaunched peace deal with the Palestinians, releasing 199 prisoners and outlining the transfer of West Bank territory to Palestinian civil control.
The prisoner releases were made ahead of schedule following the breakthrough deal signed in Egypt last weekend, and provided the first hard evidence that the Middle East peace process is back on track.
In Ramallah, relatives and friends waited at the offices of the president of the Palestinian authority, Yasser Arafat, to greet their relatives, who were released at dawn from prisons in southern Israel. There were bagpipe bands and gunshot volleys from celebrating Palestinian policemen.
Still cuffed with black plastic ropes, some of the prisoners raised their hand in triumph and flashed victory signs. Others chanted "God is great" and sang the Palestinian anthem Biladi (My Homeland).
But for some prisoners, the scenes of joy were tinged with anger at Israel's refusal to release hundreds of their fellow inmates, including members of Islamic militant groups and those convicted of killing Israelis. Most of those freed had served time for killing suspected Palestinian collaborators with Israel or for injuring Israelis.
Marwan Baghouti, the head of Mr Arafat's Fatah faction in the West Bank, said it was an important day. But he was disappointed by the number and quality of those selected for release by Israel.
"It's only 10% of all our prisoners in Israeli jails, and you can see that there are frustrated families here who were hoping to see their sons again after a long time.
"I myself have two cousins who have already served 22 years. They were convicted of killing Israelis - but we don't consider them guilty. It was a war, a fight against the occupation, and we must be proud of what happened before [the 1993 peace agreement signed in] Oslo.
"After Oslo - that is different. But these cousins were convicted in 1977 and they didn't even kill anyone. They were part of a group. Nevertheless, today gives us some hope, and the land transfer - while it is small - means that we can protect it from the settlers."
Mr Arafat last night initialled maps of the Israeli transfer of 7% of the West Bank - some 160 square miles - to Palestinian civil control. Israel will retain security control.
Shukri Salema was the longest serving of yesterday's released prisoners, having completed nearly 18 years for involvement with a Fatah military cell. At his home in the village of Beitunya friends gathered to fete their old comrade. "He's taking a bath and changing his clothes. After 18 years, he needs it," said one.
When Mr Salema emerged he was embraced by Kadura Fares, a member of the Palestinian parliament and chief of the prisoners' committee. Looking dazed, the 40-year-old former prisoner refused the offer of a canned soft drink - then caused laughter by admitting that he had never seen one before and did not know how to open it.
Mr Salema said he was now looking forward to rebuilding his life. All the released prisoners had to sign a pledge not to return to violence. "I cannot express my happiness, because I've left behind a lot of friends who have already served longer than me, some of them 25 years. The Israelis should release them, too," he said.
Mr Salema said that he trusted no Israeli politician, but that he was committed to the peace process. Condemning the two attempted car bombings in northern Israel at the weekend, Mr Salema said: "We have supported the peace process since 1993. But the Israelis do not implement it. They always find an excuse to stall. There should be no need to renegotiate new deals every year. They should just complete what they originally agreed."
Near Mr Salema's house a small group of Israelis protested against the prisoner releases. Dov Kalmanovich, whose face was badly scarred in a Palestinian firebomb attack 10 years ago, said he had no political agenda, but that terrorists like the ones who disfigured him should not be granted early release.
At the Nahal Oz crossing between Gaza and Israel, Ali Abu Sariya, a member of a hard-line PLO faction, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, who had served 13 years of a 25-year sentence, said he wanted to put the past behind him. "I hope that all my brothers in Israeli jails will be released and peace will come in the end," he said.
•Ehud Barak, the Israeli prime minister, yesterday made his strongest pitch yet for peace with Syria. "I believe we can strengthen Israel by achieving peace with Syria," he said in an interview with the Jewish Chronicle.
He spoke unprecedentedly warmly of the Syrian president Hafez el-Assad. "He is a man of his word, a man of honour, of dignity. He is a very strong leader," said Mr Barak.
Mr Barak also praised the Syrian chief of staff, General Hikmat Shehabi, as "a highly impressive figure".
Israel frees 199 Palestinian prisoners
Israel yesterday made good on its relaunched peace deal with the Palestinians, releasing 199 prisoners and outlining the transfer of West Bank territory to Palestinian civil control.
The prisoner releases were made ahead of schedule following the breakthrough deal signed in Egypt last weekend, and provided the first hard evidence that the Middle East peace process is back on track.
In Ramallah, relatives and friends waited at the offices of the president of the Palestinian authority, Yasser Arafat, to greet their relatives, who were released at dawn from prisons in southern Israel. There were bagpipe bands and gunshot volleys from celebrating Palestinian policemen.
Still cuffed with black plastic ropes, some of the prisoners raised their hand in triumph and flashed victory signs. Others chanted "God is great" and sang the Palestinian anthem Biladi (My Homeland).
But for some prisoners, the scenes of joy were tinged with anger at Israel's refusal to release hundreds of their fellow inmates, including members of Islamic militant groups and those convicted of killing Israelis. Most of those freed had served time for killing suspected Palestinian collaborators with Israel or for injuring Israelis.
Marwan Baghouti, the head of Mr Arafat's Fatah faction in the West Bank, said it was an important day. But he was disappointed by the number and quality of those selected for release by Israel.
"It's only 10% of all our prisoners in Israeli jails, and you can see that there are frustrated families here who were hoping to see their sons again after a long time.
"I myself have two cousins who have already served 22 years. They were convicted of killing Israelis - but we don't consider them guilty. It was a war, a fight against the occupation, and we must be proud of what happened before [the 1993 peace agreement signed in] Oslo.
"After Oslo - that is different. But these cousins were convicted in 1977 and they didn't even kill anyone. They were part of a group. Nevertheless, today gives us some hope, and the land transfer - while it is small - means that we can protect it from the settlers."
Mr Arafat last night initialled maps of the Israeli transfer of 7% of the West Bank - some 160 square miles - to Palestinian civil control. Israel will retain security control.
Shukri Salema was the longest serving of yesterday's released prisoners, having completed nearly 18 years for involvement with a Fatah military cell. At his home in the village of Beitunya friends gathered to fete their old comrade. "He's taking a bath and changing his clothes. After 18 years, he needs it," said one.
When Mr Salema emerged he was embraced by Kadura Fares, a member of the Palestinian parliament and chief of the prisoners' committee. Looking dazed, the 40-year-old former prisoner refused the offer of a canned soft drink - then caused laughter by admitting that he had never seen one before and did not know how to open it.
Mr Salema said he was now looking forward to rebuilding his life. All the released prisoners had to sign a pledge not to return to violence. "I cannot express my happiness, because I've left behind a lot of friends who have already served longer than me, some of them 25 years. The Israelis should release them, too," he said.
Mr Salema said that he trusted no Israeli politician, but that he was committed to the peace process. Condemning the two attempted car bombings in northern Israel at the weekend, Mr Salema said: "We have supported the peace process since 1993. But the Israelis do not implement it. They always find an excuse to stall. There should be no need to renegotiate new deals every year. They should just complete what they originally agreed."
Near Mr Salema's house a small group of Israelis protested against the prisoner releases. Dov Kalmanovich, whose face was badly scarred in a Palestinian firebomb attack 10 years ago, said he had no political agenda, but that terrorists like the ones who disfigured him should not be granted early release.
At the Nahal Oz crossing between Gaza and Israel, Ali Abu Sariya, a member of a hard-line PLO faction, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, who had served 13 years of a 25-year sentence, said he wanted to put the past behind him. "I hope that all my brothers in Israeli jails will be released and peace will come in the end," he said.
•Ehud Barak, the Israeli prime minister, yesterday made his strongest pitch yet for peace with Syria. "I believe we can strengthen Israel by achieving peace with Syria," he said in an interview with the Jewish Chronicle.
He spoke unprecedentedly warmly of the Syrian president Hafez el-Assad. "He is a man of his word, a man of honour, of dignity. He is a very strong leader," said Mr Barak.
Mr Barak also praised the Syrian chief of staff, General Hikmat Shehabi, as "a highly impressive figure".
5 sept 1999
Israel and Palestine sign peace agreement
Israelis and Palestinians have signed a hard-fought new peace agreement.
The breakthrough sets the stage for finals talks on the shape of Palestine.
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak met in a luxury hotel in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh for the signing.
US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordanian King Abdullah II looked on in a ballroom crowded with other dignitaries and journalists and decorated with the flags of Israel, Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinians and the United States.
Jordan was the second Arab country, after Egypt, to sign a peace treaty with Israel.
After the principles signed, Mrs Albright, Mr Mubarak and King Abdullah added their signatures as witnesses, to applause. Mrs Albright then embraced Mr Barak and Mr Arafat.
The accord takes effect from September 5 when Mr Barak will submit it to his Cabinet. Later Mr Barak will forward the agreement to Israel's parliament, which will be recalled from its summer recess for a special session on the pact.
Israel and Palestine sign peace agreement
Israelis and Palestinians have signed a hard-fought new peace agreement.
The breakthrough sets the stage for finals talks on the shape of Palestine.
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak met in a luxury hotel in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh for the signing.
US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordanian King Abdullah II looked on in a ballroom crowded with other dignitaries and journalists and decorated with the flags of Israel, Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinians and the United States.
Jordan was the second Arab country, after Egypt, to sign a peace treaty with Israel.
After the principles signed, Mrs Albright, Mr Mubarak and King Abdullah added their signatures as witnesses, to applause. Mrs Albright then embraced Mr Barak and Mr Arafat.
The accord takes effect from September 5 when Mr Barak will submit it to his Cabinet. Later Mr Barak will forward the agreement to Israel's parliament, which will be recalled from its summer recess for a special session on the pact.