TULKAREM, West Bank, June 2, 2005
Israel Frees Palestinian Prisoners
Hundreds More Released In Deal Made In Feb.; Leaders To Meet Soon
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Former prisoner Mahmud Zaglil, center, hugs his mother as he is welcomed by family and friends after arriving in Tulkarem (AP)
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Palestinian Leader Mahmoud Abbas as he left a medical center in Amman (AP)
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The release of Palestinian prisoners is not popular in Israel, which has seen more than 100 suicide bombings during more than four years of conflict.
"I say there is no justice, absolutely no justice," Shifra Hoffman heads a group called the Victims of Arab Terror, told Berger. "We see that those who murder or wound will be released knowing that there's no penalty to pay. It will only increase the terror."
In Tulkarem, the released prisoners flashed victory signs, praised God and kissed the ground as they got off Israeli buses. The men boarded Palestinian buses, which took them about 100 yards to their cheering relatives. Young girls threw candy as the prisoners were reunited with family members.
Prisoners herded into cars at the Erez crossing were cheered by crowds as drivers honked and waved Palestinian flags out of windows.
Sami Abu Nahal, 42, from the Beach refugee camp in Gaza, said he was looking forward to meeting his 4-year-old daughter for the first time, but still had mixed feelings about his release.
"I can smell the freedom. I am happy to see my daughter, Wala," said Abu Nahal, who spent four years in prison. "But at the same time I'm feeling sad because I left friends and brothers inside the Israeli jails."
In the West Bank town of Nablus, known as a stronghold of Palestinian militants, thousands of people celebrated the release, including dozens of masked men who fired guns into the air. Some 85 of the prisoners freed Thursday were from the Nablus area.
©MMV CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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