MOSCOW, August 14 (RIA Novosti) - Twenty-six Palestinian prisoners who were pardoned by the Israeli government earlier in the week have returned home, Al Jazeera reported on Wednesday.
According to the agency, several buses left the Ayalon prison in central Israel late on Tuesday night carrying inmates, most of whom had been jailed for attacks on Israeli citizens.
Eleven of the 26 released prisoners were met in Ramallah, in the West Bank, by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, while 15 others were greeted by crowds in the Gaza Strip.
The long-term prisoners made up the first group of 104 people whom Israeli authorities pledged to release as an act of good will in regard to the Palestinian authorities.
The release of the prisoners comes ahead of the second round of direct negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians on Wednesday. Two weeks ago Israel and Palestine resumed direct talks with US mediation after holding the first round of negotiations in Washington.
Moscow welcomes Israel’s move as “an important humanitarian step,” the Russian Foreign Ministry’s press and information department said in a statement Wednesday.
“It is undoubtedly designed to facilitate the consolidation of trust between the sides at this crucial period,” the statement said.
“We work on the assumption that such reciprocal gestures, not unilateral steps, are necessary to create a positive atmosphere and ensure success in the dialogue between the Palestinians and Israelis,” the ministry said.
Adds Russian reaction
