Israel cabinet okays release of 250 Palestinian prisoners

Occupied Jerusalem: Israel's cabinet on Sunday agreed to release 250 Palestinian prisoners in a bid to bolster Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the emergency government he formed after Hamas took over the Gaza Strip.

Following the cabinet decision, confirmed by a government official, Israeli authorities will finalise a release roster comprised of prisoners from Abbas's Fatah faction.

Olmert had pledged to free prisoners of Abbas's Fatah movement in a June 25 summit with the Palestinian leader as part of a Western campaign to bolster the new administration he named after sacking a unity government with Hamas Islamists.

The United States and European Union have been prodding Olmert to nurture contacts with Abbas's emergency government in the hope it can lead to a resumption of contacts towards resuming long-stalled peace talks.

In a goodwill gesture last week, Israel released Palestinian tax funds it had frozen a year ago when Hamas rose to power, a move that helped enable Abbas to pay Palestinian civil servants full salaries for the first time in 17 months.