There is more than a hint of desperation about Israel’s announcement that it will release 200 Palestinian prisoners on Monday. The releases are timed to coincide with the latest visit to the region by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who hopes to try and push forward the stalled US-sponsored Annapolis peace process. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s office says “This is a gesture and trust-building move aimed at bolstering the moderates in the Palestinian National Authority and the peace process”.
The move has been criticised by his political opponents, notably Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu and one of the leading contenders to replace him as Kadima leader, Shaul Mofaz, on the grounds that Israel will secure nothing in return. Rice’s last visit rather unfortunately coincided with Olmert’s announcement that he will step down in the face of corruption investigations.
Olmert and Rice are hoping to show sceptical Palestinians that President Mahmoud Abbas’s dialogue with Israel can produce results. However, winning them over will take a great deal more work, since after six months of talks Abbas has received no substantive concessions from Israel. Even if Olmert had been politically strong and Palestine had not been divided into Fatah-controlled West Bank and Hamas-run Gaza, the prospects of reaching the target of a framework agreement before the end of the Bush administration would have been remote. Under current conditions the prisoner release will serve only to weaken Olmert, adrift in his final months in office.
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