GAZA, Dec 30 (KUNA) — The Israeli Action Committee on the Palestinian Prisoners will meet today in Jerusalem, Israel Radio said Sunday.
Israeli First Deputy Prime Minister Haim Ramon will preside over the meeting which will discuss the possibility of releasing Palestinian prisoners who were accused of killing Israelis.
Radio Israel claimed that the move would aim at pushing ahead the contacts toward a deal for releasing Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier kidnapped by three Palestinian factions in Gaza in June, 2006.
The three factions are demanding the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails in return for Shalit.
The Prisoners Committee, formed by the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert including some of his ministers, met last Monday and addressed the potential of releasing more Palestinians in case a POW swap is concluded with the Palestinians.
Over the past days, Israel has tried to give the impression that there were some negotiations with Hamas to release Shalit, but the Islamic Resistance Movement confirmed there was nothing new on the Shalit issue.
On Wednesday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak discussed with President Hosni Mubarak and other top Egyptian officials the potential of help by Egypt to reach a POW swap deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians