Palestinians in Fury
Sharon freezes more prisoner release
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon delivered a new blow to the troubled Middle East peace process yesterday by deciding to place an agreement for the release of 400 Palestinian prisoners on hold.
Palestinians reacted furiously to the move, saying it would only serve to undermine an ongoing truce.
The 400 prisoners were due to have been released by Israel as part of an agreement reached with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas at a summit in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh three months ago.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. However a spokesman in Sharon's office said that the prisoners would remain behind bars until the Palestinians showed a willingness to crack down on militant groups such as the Islamist movement Hamas.
"The prime minister has decided not to release the detainees for the moment as Abu Mazen (Abbas) has not taken any action to decapitate the terrorism which is continuing," the spokesman told AFP.
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