To:The Israeli Goverment
From: Doris Cadigan, Massachusetts
Subject: Israel's Fails to Coordination Prisoner Release
Date: 2/05/05

To PM Mr. Sharon, Mr. Lapid, Mr. Mofaz and Mr. Mazuz:

Dear Gentlemen:

No other issue symbolizes Israel's denial of Palestinian freedom than that of political prisoners. Palestinians have been subjected to the highest rate of incarceration in the world -- approximately 20 percent of the Palestinian population in the occupied Palestinian territories have been arbitrarily detained or imprisoned by the Israeli occupation.

Almost 60,000 Palestinians have been arrested since the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza in 1967. During the first intifada from 1989-1992 some 40,000 were arrested and during the second intifada (2000) some 18,211 have been detained. In the mid-2003, it was reported that 5,600 Palestinians were security inmates, 2,420 were serving sentences, and 2,650 were awaiting trial and 530 were administrative detainees.

Although , I was very glad to hear the Israeli cabinet had approved the release of 900 political prisoners on Thursday --I think this is a far cry from the number that should be released. Nonethelss, I was very disappointed to hear from Palestinian officials that the list of names they submitted to you was not coordinated with them. This is not right.

In fact, Mr.Saeb Erakat the chief Palestinian negotiator called your proposed list "insulting". He said it didn't even reflect "the minimum" requested by PA officials and this could "hurt" Mr. Abbas's efforts. Much like the summer of 2003. Indeed, I hope this is not another scuttling of the talks by Israel as so many previous ones.

Mr. Saeb Eraket said his major dissatifaction with your proposed list it that it did not reflect his people choices: "It is not what we want. We want them (Israelis) to release those who have spent more than 20 years in jail". This seems very reasonable to me. I wish you would accommodate Mr. Erakat's request and others. Now we are all disapointed too.

Mr. Abbas needs all the goodwill gestures he can get to boost his efforts to bring the Palestinian factions together and to boost his domestic agenda. I hope Israel can shower him with good fortune. On this side of the Atlantic--we are looking for this to happen too. If the peace making efforts fail--American and International groups will feel they have little choice but to boycott Israel. I hope this doesn't happen. Israel should do more--much more to help Mr. Abbas along.


Thank You,

Doris Cadigan, Massachusetts, USA


© Copyright 2004 by AxisofLogic.com Doris Cadigan is a regular contributing writer for Axis of Logic and resides in Massachusetts.