Israel Frees Hundreds Of Palestinian Prisoners

From CNN:

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel released 227 Palestinian prisoners Monday in a long-debated good-will gesture to the Palestinian Authority, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said.

The move, officially in honor of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, was also meant to bolster the reputation of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, whose government is locked in a power struggle with the Hamas movement, which controls the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli government said none of the freed prisoners had "blood on their hands," an expression used to describe Palestinians Israel has charged with harming Israeli citizens.

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