Britain resumes bid to deport Bethlehem-born cleric

Preacher Abu Qatada is seen in this undated file image taken from television
footage, appealing for the release of Briton Norman Kember who was taken
hostage in Iraq. (Reuters/HO)

 Ma'an

LONDON (Reuters) -- Britain said on Tuesday it had re-arrested a Bethlehem-born cleric once described as Osama bin Laden's "right-hand man in Europe" and would resume plans to deport him to Jordan, where he has been convicted in his absence of involvement in terrorist plots.

Preacher Abu Qatada, who holds Jordanian nationality, has been under virtual house arrest at his family home in London since February, when he was freed from a British prison after a court said his detention without trial was unlawful.

The court's decision followed a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights in January that Qatada would not receive a fair trial in Jordan because evidence against him may have been obtained using torture.

The findings have embarrassed the British government, which maintains that Qatada is a national security risk, and prompted calls from politicians to defy the European court and deport the cleric before London hosts the Olympic Games in July and August.

Qatada, whose real name is Omar Othman, has been fighting attempts to deport him for six years and his case has become an important test of how Britain treats foreign suspects accused of having links with groups such as al-Qaida.

Britain says videotapes of his sermons were found in a German apartment used by three of the people who carried out al-Qaida's September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.

A court in Jordan has found Qatada guilty in absentia of involvement in two bomb plots and a senior British judge has described him as a "truly dangerous" supporter of radical Islamist groups.

Qatada, a father of five, denies belonging to al-Qaida.

He was described as bin Laden's "right-hand man in Europe" by Spanish high court judge and human rights investigator Baltasar Garzon in 2004 after 191 people were killed by bombs put on board commuter trains in Madrid by Islamist militants.

British Home Secretary Theresa May, responsible for domestic security, traveled to Jordan in March to seek a deal that would allow the deportation to proceed by gaining assurances that torture evidence would not be used against Qatada.

She was due to update parliament later on the progress of negotiations with Jordan.

Qatada was expected to appear in a specialist court where the government would seek to overturn his bail and return him to prison.

"UK Border Agency officers have today arrested Abu Qatada and told him that we intend to resume deportation proceedings against him," the Home Office said in a statement.

Al-Qaida last week warned Britain against sending Qatada to Jordan, saying in a statement on an Islamist website that such a move would open the "door of evil" for the British government and its people.

Qatada was born in 1960 near Bethlehem, then controlled by Jordan and now part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Never formally charged with an offense, he has been in and out of custody since he was first detained under anti-terrorism laws in 2002.

Since his release Qatada has had to wear an electronic tag to allow the police to keep track of him and spend 22 hours a day at his family home. He was also banned from using the Internet and mobile phones.

Egypt releases 6 Palestinians

File photo of the Rafah crossing on the border of Egypt and Gaza.
(MaanImages/Hatem Omar)

 

 

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Egyptian authorities on Tuesday released six Palestinians who had been detained for illegally entering Egypt without permits.

Palestinian sources told Ma'an that six men from Rafah and Khan Younis in southern Gaza were returned to the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing.

They were identified as Ahmad al-Banna, Shadi al-Qirm, Iyad Mishal, Adnan Muhsin, Samir Arraj, and Ahmad Bardaweil.

Egypt arrests Israeli national at border crossing

EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma'an) -- Egyptian authorities arrested a Palestinian citizen of Israel at the Egypt border Thursday, saying they discovered a weapon and large quantity of ammunition in his possession.

The Palestinian-Israeli, who was not otherwise identified, told Egyptian security forces he worked for an Israeli tourism company and was traveling with his wife to the northern Sinai city of Taba, officials said.

Forces discovered an American-made weapon when searching the man's car as he entered Egypt via the Taba border crossing near the southern town of Eilat, Egyptian security officials told Ma'an.

The suspect was detained when he failed to provide an adequate explanation for the weapon and ammunition, and has been transferred for investigation to facilities in southern Sinai, they said.

The arrest comes amid a breakdown in Israel-Egypt relations, although they have improved in recent days following Cairo's successful mediation of a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas.

Egypt is also considering swapping a US-Israeli joint national, suspected of spying for Israel, for 81 Egyptians detained in Israel, the state-owned daily Al-Ahram said Sunday.

Israel enjoyed close ties with deposed President Hosni Mubarak, brought down in February in a popular uprising. Relations have remained tense as Egypt struggles to maintain security in the Sinai.

Egyptian security detain 5 Palestinians

An Egyptian security force operates near a watchtower on the Egyptian
side of Gaza's border town, Rafah (MaanImages/Hatem Omar, File)

EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) -- Egyptian security forces detained five Palestinians who entered the country through Gaza tunnels to film a documentary, officials said Wednesday.

Egyptian authorities said five Palestinians, including a journalist, entered via tunnel in the Salad-Ad-Din area of Rafah in order to film a documentary about the border area.

They are being held for investigation, Egyptian security said. The Palestinians were not immediately identified.

Egyptian authorities: Security forces detain 4 Palestinians

EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) -- Egyptian security forces detained four Palestinians on Wednesday who had entered Egypt through underground tunnels connecting to the Gaza Strip.

Egyptian authorities said that their visas to enter Egypt had expired and they are still investigating the reason for their entry to Egypt.

Egyptian security officials said that the low number of passengers allowed to enter Egypt via the Rafah crossing leads people to try and enter the country illegally via other routes.

Egyptian authorities detain 19 Palestinians

EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) -- Egyptian authorities detained 19 Palestinians on Wednesday, security sources said.

Five people were detained at the entrance to El-Arish, north Sinai. They were reportedly on route to Cairo, Egyptian security sources told Ma'an.

Police also arrested 12 Palestinians 100 kilometers from the city of El-Arish. Four had expired visas.

A woman and her seven children were among the group.

A Palestinian man working for Hamas security forces in Gaza was also detained in El-Arish for having an expired visa, and security forces arrested another man who had entered Egypt via a Gaza tunnel, security forces said.

UFree 'confident' of Salah acquittal

UFree, a EU-based charity representing political prisoners, claims it is ‘confident’ that Sheikh Raed Salah will not be deported from the UK.

The comments come as British courts prepare to deport Salah on charges that he entered the UK despite being served a travel ban. Since his arrest on June 28th, he has remained in British custody.

 

However, a statement by UFree, released today, has claimed that Salah ‘has an extremely strong case and a high probability of winning his case… in the next few weeks’. The charity’s chairman, Mohammed Hamdan, is reported to have visited Salah in prison and described his condition as ‘[in] good health and high spirits’.

 

Appeasement?

 

The arrest of Salah has proved controversial in both the UK and abroad. Theresa May, the Home Secretary, was accused of ‘incompetence’ for the failure of the UK Border Agency to prevent Salah’s entry, whilst several British newspapers have lauded his imprisonment, citing accusations of anti-semitism made against him. 

 

Critics have condemned the move, however, describing it as ‘appease[ment] of the pro-Israeli lobby in Britain’, according to UFree itself. Al-Jazeera, the pan-Arab satellite news channel, has claimed that the arrest ‘undermines… Britain’s democratic image’.

Sheikh Raed Salah released by British court

BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- The British High Court decided Friday to release head of the Islamic Movement in Israel, Sheikh Raed Salah, who had been detained in Britain for more than two weeks.

At the High Court on Friday, judge Nicholas Stadlen granted Salah bail on condition that he wear an electronic tag, observe a night-time curfew, report daily to immigration officials and stay at the home of a friend in London.

He said he would not be released until late Monday, to give government officials time to carry out checks on the bail address.

Sheikh Raed Salah, 52, was detained on June 28 during a visit to Britain following an invitation by the Middle East Studies Center and the Palestinian Forum.

He was detained on the orders of Home Secretary Theresa May.

The judge also banned Salah from "public speaking" and any activity which might promote terrorism or criminal activity.

A government statement was issued to deport Salah from British territory after it said he was forbidden to enter the country. Immigration authorities said they were unaware how he managed to enter Britain.

The Islamic movement considered the deportation order an Israeli decision with British complicity.

The Islamic Movement is tolerated in Israel but is under constant surveillance because of its perceived links with the Palestinian militant Hamas movement that controls Gaza, as well as with other Islamist groups worldwide.

AFP contributed to this report

Family says Egypt security executed Yousif Abu Zuhri

Relatives of Yousef Abu Zuhri mourn during his funeral in Rafah in the southern
Gaza Strip, October 14, 2009. Abu Zuhri died in an Egyptian prison where he
was held for entering Egypt illegally. His family says the young man died after
being tortured by Egyptian State Security. [MaanImages/Hatem Omar]


GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The Abu Zuhri family on Tuesday accused Egyptian State Security of executing Yousif Abu Zuhri, brother of a Hamas spokesman, in October 2009.

At a press conference in Gaza City, family members said they had received new information from two Gaza residents recently released from Egyptian prisons.

The former detainees said Yousif Abu Zuhri was brought to the interrogation center in Egypt's Nasr City where they were being held. On October 10 2009, interrogators tortured Abu Zuhri with electric shocks for an hour until he died, the ex-prisoners said,

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said his brother did not die of ill health as claimed by Egyptian security at the time, but was rather tortured to death.

"The recent testimonies revealed all ambiguities about the martyrdom of Yousif Abu Zuhri," he said.

9 Palestinians return to Gaza from Egypt jail

Published Friday 04/03/2011 (updated) 04/03/2011 20:46

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Nine Palestinians arrived in the Gaza Strip on Thursday after being released from Egyptian jails, locals said.

Two of the freed men were identified as Abdallah Abu Raya and Nedal Hamada, affiliates of the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, the Al-Quds Brigades.

Egyptian authorities released 12 Palestinians from the Al-Aqrab prison on Thursday, a spokesman for the families of the detained said.

Over 20 Palestinians in the jail began a hunger strike in mid-February demanding their release, after a decision to free them was revoked by Egyptian authorities.

There are an additional 32 Palestinians who remain in Egyptian custody, according to families who have been in touch with the prisoners.

A prisoners' committee urged Egypt's high military council to free the remaining Palestinians, some of whom have been detained for many years despite receiving court orders for their release.

At least eight Palestinian prisoners escaped from Egypt's jails and returned to Gaza during the uprising which overthrew leader Hosni Mubarak.

In mid-February, Egyptian authorities released 14 Palestinian prisoners, a detainees affairs official said.

Egyptian army release 12 Palestinian political prisoners

[ 04/03/2011 - 12:41 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- Imad al-Sayyed, spokesman for the families of Palestinian political prisoners in Egyptian jails, said that the Egyptian army has released on Thursday morning 12 of those prisoners. In a special statement to PIC Sayyed said that the twelve prisoners were released from the notorious Aqrab prison and called on the ruling military council in Egypt to release the rest of the Palestinian political prisoners who remain in jail and who number more than 30. For its part, the Arab Organisation for Human Rights in UK (AOHRUK) thanked the military council in Egypt for the release of those prisoner, some of whom spent more than four  years in captivity. AOHRUK further said that there is still a large number of Palestinian political prisoners remain in Egyptian jails, stressing that there are at least 32 such prisoners and called on the ruling military council to clear the jails of those prisoners and indeed of all political prisoners as demanded by those who participated in the January 25 revolution. The organisation also thanked al-Jazeera satellite channel for the part it played in highlighting the plight of those political prisoners and their families which has paved the way for there release. The released prisoners arrived at the Rafah crossing on Thursday evening on their way to the Gaza Strip. --------------- Egypt releases 12 Palestinian detainees Published Thursday 03/03/2011 (updated) 04/03/2011 09:37 GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Egyptian authorities released 12 Palestinians from the Al-Aqrab prison on Thursday, a spokesman for the families of the detained said, adding that all were en route to the Rafah crossing. According to families in Gaza, who have been in touch with the prisoners, there are an additional 32 men who remain in Egyptian custody. Many were detained during the 2007 destruction of the Gaza-Egypt border wall, which saw Gaza residents flood into Egypt to purchase supplies after more than a year under a strict Israeli blockade. Others were detained at the Rafah border crossing, and some on allegations of criminal charges. Spokesman of the families of the released men Imad As-Sayyed, said it was not known when the men would return to Gaza, but said he had been assured that they were en route. The remaining cases, he added, had been taken up by a London-based rights group, which was seeking their release.

Gadhafi forces detain Palestinian students

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Libyan forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi detained Palestinian students Monday in Misurata, officials said.

Reports from informed sources said Gadhafi's forces detained Palestinians studying at a military college in the northwestern city after they refused to join the pro-regime forces.

Palestinian military intelligence director Nidhal Abu Dukhan told Ma'an that PA officials were in constant contact with Palestinian students in Libya.

"I am checking up every single hour with the military attaché at the Palestinian embassy in Libya on 43 Palestinian students at military colleges in Libya," he said.

"The embassy decided to accommodate them in apartments near the embassy, and they were asked to remain under supervision of the military attaché and not try to cross borders until the embassy finds a way move them out of Libya safely as soon as possible.”

Abu Dukhan added that the Palestinian Authority did not have the capabilities to evacuate its nationals, as other countries have done.

"Frankly speaking, the PA does not have any fleets or warships to send to Libya to evacuate the Palestinians. However, we await any opportunity to evacuate them safely to the airport, then the homeland," he explained.

Gaza man lands in Khan Younis after being released from Egypt prison

[ 01/03/2011 - 07:31 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- Nabil Mansur al-Bashiti, 38, landed in the Gaza Strip Monday evening after he was released from Egyptian detention. After the turn of power in Egypt, another Palestinian had reportedly been freed, but more than 37 others are apparently becoming more and more desparate. Bashiti was released from the notorious Aqrab prison after serving one year of a 15 year sentence, our correspondent says, adding that he has arrived at his Khan Younis home warmly welcomed by the public. Meanwhile, disgruntled detainees not yet freed have threatened to set themselves ablaze and clash with the prison administration as prisons under the changed regime fail to implement court decisions ruling that they be released. ”Our children detained in Egyptian jails, particularly in the Al-Aqrab prison, have gotten rulings for their release, but none of them have been released,” said Emad al-Sayyid, the spokesman for the association of families of Palestinians detained in Egypt. ”They have gone on their twelfth straight day of hunger strike.” ”Our children had begun wrapping on doors and yelling intensely until security tried to raid ward 4,” Sayyid said. ”Our children then threatened to clash with security and burn themselves alive if their departments were raided.”

Relatives: None of Palestinian detainees in Egypt released

[ 24/02/2011 - 10:41 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- The Cairo authorities did not release any of the Palestinian detainees in Egypt, relatives of those prisoners in the Gaza Strip said in a statement on Wednesday. They said that the first report from Egypt about the release of 14 detainees was not true, as they were released from jail then taken back to it. They added that the reported nine other detainees to be released on Wednesday were among the earlier 14 and were still in custody. The relatives denounced the Egyptian authorities for tampering with their feelings, affirming that 24 detainees in the Egyptian Aqrab jail in Hilwan had entered their fifth day of hunger strike. Egypt: Palestinian prisoners enter 5th day of strike GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Family members of 24 Palestinian men detained in Egyptian prisons said relatives entered their fifth day of a hunger strike initiated when their promised release was delayed. A statement released by the families said that detainees were political prisoners, and had been promised release under the new Egyptian leadership. Earlier reports, the family members said, that nine Palestinians were released were false, the prisoners had reported, saying the nine were returned to the same prison hours after their apparent release.

Haneyya calls on released Qassam leader

[ 07/02/2011 - 10:39 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- Palestinian premier Ismail Haneyya on Sunday evening visited the Qassam Brigades commander Ayman Nofal who managed to get out of his Egyptian jail a few days earlier and headed back to Gaza. Haneyya congratulated Nofal over his safe return after years in captivity, underlining that all Palestinians were pleased with the return of Nofal to his family and home. The premier was accompanied by a number of ministers, senior officials, MPs, and Hamas leaders. Nofal arrived back to his home in Nusseirat in central Gaza Strip on Saturday night after three years in Egyptian prisons with no charge being leveled against him. He was out of jail during the unrest that prevailed in the Egyptian streets demanding the ouster of president Hosni Mubarak.

Nofal: We got out of jail against the will of the oppressors

07-02-2011,09:40

Al Qassam website- Gaza -Qassam Brigades leader Ayman Nofal told the PIC on Saturday night that the Palestinian prisoners got out of the Egyptian jail "against the will of the oppressors".

He expressed appreciation for all those who arrived to his home in Gaza to congratulate him on his safe return from Egyptian captivity.

He also thanked the media that displayed solidarity with his case and with all the Palestinians who took part in rallies demanding his release.

Nofal said that they came under intensive fire by jailors during the escape and that he was slightly wounded in the incident.

The Qassam commander said that relatives of Egyptian detainees stormed the jail, which led to their release from captivity.

Hamas commander back to Gaza

 


06-02-2011,09:47
 

Al Qassam website - A senior Hamas commander returned to the Gaza Strip on Saturday after breaking out of a Cairo jail during the political upheaval in Egypt, sources in the Palestinian Islamist movement said.

They said Ayman Nofal had been arrested in the Egyptian Sinai in early 2008 inside Egypt.

Five other Palestinian citizens who had been held at Abu Zaabal prison in Cairo made their way back to Gaza this week.

A number of prominent prisoners have escaped from Egyptian jails over the last week as law and order collapsed when mass protests against President Hosni Mubarak began and police were temporarily withdrawn from the streets.

Also on Sunday, three Palestinian security prisoners reportedly escaped back to the Gaza Strip. Officials in Gaza said the three had fled during the upheaval and returned to the coastal territory.

  






----------

Hamas militant arrives in Gaza after escaping Egypt jail

Published yesterday (updated) 06/02/2011 21:40

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- A leader of Hamas' armed wing arrived in the Gaza Strip on Saturday after escaping from an Egyptian prison.

Thousands of prisoners broke out of jail in Egypt amid security chaos as ongoing anti-government protests spread across the country.

Al-Qassam Brigades militant Ayman Noufel returned to the Al-Buriej refugee camp in central Gaza, where he was received by his family and senior Hamas leaders.

Noufel was detained three years ago in El-Arish, when thousands of Palestinians broke out of Gaza through the wall on Egypt's border.

He was one of eight Palestinians who escaped from Egyptian jails, six of whom have returned to Gaza.

The whereabouts of the remaining two is still unclear, but their families said they received unconfirmed information that Egyptian forces detained them at a checkpoint near Sheikh Zweid, a city 15 kilometers from the Gaza border.

According to official statistics in Gaza, 39 Palestinians were in Egyptian prisons before the protests broke out. More than a dozen had court orders mandating their release, but Egyptian security insisted on keeping them in custody.

The oldest detainee to escape was Mu’tasem Al-Quka, who spent seven years in Abu Za'bal prison accused of affiliation with Hamas.

He added he did not know at first what he was charged with but was later told it was for being a member of a movement banned in Egypt.

Al-Quka said he was ill-treated in Egyptian prisons especially in Abu Za’bal prison. He said prisoners were able to flee the jail because Egyptians demolished its walls.

More Palestinians escape Egypt prisons

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Four more Palestinians who were held in an Egyptian prison returned to the Gaza Strip on Sunday.

Mu’tasem Al-Quka, jailed than seven years in Abu Za’bal prison, said, “I was detained while I was on my way to Egypt, on the accusations that I am an affiliate in Hamas movement.”

He added he did not know at first the charge against him was but later told it was for being a member of a movement banned in Egypt.

Al-Quka stressed that he was ill-treated in Egyptian prisons especially in Abu Za’bal prison. He said that the prisoners were able to flee the prison as the Egyptians demolished its walls.

He said many Palestinians were with him in the prison, eight of them from Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

A spokesman for prisoners held in Egypt, Imad As-Sayyid, identified the four who escaped from Abu Za'bal as Mu’tasem Al-Quka, Omar Sha’th, Muhammad Abdul Hadi, and Kom’a At-Talha.

The prisoners made their escape when thousands broke out of jails across Egypt amid an absence of police and chaos sparked by nationwide riots demanding the end of Hosni Mubarak's regime.

Among those who returned Sunday was Mohammed Al-Shaer, a big name on the cross-border smuggling scene, arrested six months ago, and Hassan Washah, who served three years of a 10-year term for unspecified security offenses.

Other prisoners were said to have reached Egypt's port city of El-Arish and were expected to reach Gaza later, official sources said.

Although they managed to enter by tunnel, most other movement of goods ground to a halt on Sunday, sparking fears of a fuel shortage in the Israeli-blockaded territory.

Abu Abed Alwahab, a Hamas border guard, said, however, that tunnel workers were being allowed into the frontier zone. "Our mission is to protect the border," he said.

"We prevent anyone from coming near, except for some workers in the tunnels."


AFP contributed to this report.

Palestinian prisoner escapes Egyptian jail

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- A Palestinian held in an Egyptian prison has returned to the Gaza Strip, his family said Sunday.

Relatives of Hassan Washah said he returned to the Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, the fate of dozens of other Palestinian prisoners in Egyptian custody is still unclear. Egyptian state security recently arrested seven Palestinians from Gaza, including a student accused of inventing a hi-tech surveillance system.

Spokesman for relatives of Palestinians held in Egypt Imad As-Sayyid said Egypt is holding 39 Palestinians, and that 11 escaped from Abu Za'bal prison on the desert road between Cairo and Alexandria.

As-Sayid said his brother Muhammad was among those who escaped, and that he was on his way home.

The spokesman added that his brother had been detained for 21 months despite an official decision to release him earlier.

The wife of Ayman Nofal, a prominent member of Hamas’ military wing Al-Qassam Brigades detained in Egypt, said she had not received any news about him. She could not confirm that he escaped from Al-Marj prison.

As-Sayid could not confirm media reports that Muhammad Ramadan Ash-Shaer escaped prison and returned to his home in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

Ash-Shaer is a notorious smuggler, known in Gaza as the "King of tunnels," and "Al-Far," (the mouse).

Egyptian authorities detained Ash-Shaer six months ago when he returned from Saudi Arabia. He was traveling on his brother's passport.

Haneyya: Prisoners issue must be made international

[ 23/10/2010 - 04:09 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haneyya announced he will assume all expenses of an Arab-international tour by a delegation from the families of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention aimed at publicizing their cause to the world. Speaking at the international Palestinian POW conference held by the “Innovation” foundation for consulting and training in part with the Palestinian prisoners ministry Saturday morning in Gaza, Haneyya called on Arabs to turn the prisoners issue from a Palestinian issue into an Arab, Islamic, and international issue. Liberation is the goal “All of the Palestinian factions work for one goal, which is to free the war prisoners in Israeli jails, and this conference comes in this context: to serve the cause and discuss all of the means to achieve this goal,” Haneyya said. “It is true that we are looking for a decent life for prisoners and their families, but this is a secondary goal, and the major objective is to achieve freedom and liberation for these heroes,” he added. “We cannot feel full freedom and dignity unless these heroes are freed,” he went on to say. Political arrests in the West Bank The Prime Minister said it is shameful that there are Palestinians imprisoned over politics, and resistance. Haneyya called on the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to free political prisoners detained in their jurisdiction over politics or for affiliation with Palestinian resistance groups. “It is a shame to talk about war prisoners in Israeli jails, while there are hundreds of them in the [Palestinian] Authority jails, among them women,” the Palestinian PM said. “There must not remain any Palestinian person in any prison over his work for the sake of Palestinian liberation, especially since our security is part of Arab security, and we do not have any thought of meddling with Arab security.” Internationalization of the issue “Every delegation from Western countries who comes to Gaza talks about Shalit to resistance factions. In contrast, who speaks about the 8,000 Palestinian prisoners?” “How can one captured soldier be given worldwide attention, and the issue of 8,000 prisoners be ignored?” Haneyya said it his government’s responsibility to turn their issue into an issue of international concern. He announced the government will assist travel of this delegation to other countries to clarify the war prisoners’ cause. Release of prisoners The Palestinian Prime Minister decided today to free a group of detainees in Gaza in honor of the Lifeline 5 humanitarian aid convoy that came to break the Gaza siege and take part in the international conference for war prisoners. Palestinian Interior Ministry spokesman Ihab Al Ghusein told the PIC by phone that the Palestinian government in Gaza decided to free 20 prisoners in Gaza in honor of the convoy. Ghusein said the government will hold a press conference at 3:00pm Saturday to implement the Prime Minister’s decision to the prisoners who served two-thirds of their full sentences. “The government’s objective is only to detain people as much as would give them guidance and direction,” the interior spokesman said, expressing hope that the detainees have benefited from the time they served. He assured that there are no political prisoners in Gaza jails, and that the prisoners who were released were detained for legal violations. ---------- Haniyeh: World must act to free prisoners GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Gaza government Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh on Saturday called on the international community to act on the issue of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. At a conference in Gaza City, the Hamas leader noted that every visitor to the Gaza Strip talked about captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit but ignored more than 8,000 Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel. Haniyeh said there were no detention centers in Gaza for political prisoners and that there never would be. He appealed to Arab leaders, in particular Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, to release Palestinian prisoners detained in Arab countries for their political affiliation. "It is shameful that political prisoners are held in Palestine and in Arab countries while we demand that Israel releases our prisoners," Haniyeh said. The Gaza premier called on his government's Prisoners' Affairs Ministry to form a delegation of detainees' relatives to visit Arab and European countries as advocates for prisoners' rights at an international level. The delegation should include families of Palestinian detainees and those detained in other Arab countries, he said, adding that his government would fund all expenses for the tour.