PA minister criticizes Israel's refusal to release "heroic prisoners"
“Dozens of angry citizens demonstrated yesterday evening [March 29, 2014] in front of the gate of the Ofer military camp near Ramallah to protest Israel’s delay in releasing the fourth group of prisoners [arrested] before [the] Oslo [Accords]…
[PA] Minister of Prisoners’ Affairs [Issa Karake] said: ‘We have come to welcome our heroic prisoners included in the fourth phase [of prisoner releases], who should have been released today, but the gate of the Ofer prison has not opened because of the Israeli cancellation.’
He added: ‘We demand from the occupation authorities the release of all the veteran prisoners in the fourth phase, who number 30 [in all], 14 of whom are from the Palestinian territories occupied in 1948 (i.e., Israel). We hold them [Israel] fully responsible for the ramifications of the delay in releasing [the prisoners] in accordance with the agreement [between Israel and the PA].’”
[PA] Minister of Prisoners’ Affairs [Issa Karake] said: ‘We have come to welcome our heroic prisoners included in the fourth phase [of prisoner releases], who should have been released today, but the gate of the Ofer prison has not opened because of the Israeli cancellation.’
He added: ‘We demand from the occupation authorities the release of all the veteran prisoners in the fourth phase, who number 30 [in all], 14 of whom are from the Palestinian territories occupied in 1948 (i.e., Israel). We hold them [Israel] fully responsible for the ramifications of the delay in releasing [the prisoners] in accordance with the agreement [between Israel and the PA].’”