Israel began to release more than 400 Palestinian prisoners early Monday as a gesture of goodwill to strengthen Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas after a U.S.-sponsored conference last week on Palestinian statehood.

 

Altogether 429 Palestinians will be released from a Israeli prison in its southern desert, the Israeli prison service said, adding that 408 Palestinians will be sent to the West Bank and 21 to Gaza.

 

Most prisoners belong to Abbas's Fatah faction.

 

"The prisoners have received medical checkups and met with representatives of the Red Cross," the Prisons Service said in a statement.

 

According to its common practice, the Israelis will release Palestinian prisoners on the condition that they sign a paper declaring to stop "terror activities" against Israeli targets.

 

The release, a central Palestinian demand, was intended to strengthen Abbas in his struggle against the Islamic Hamas, who took complete control of the whole Gaza.

 

Israel is holding about 9,000 Palestinian prisoners.

 

Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert launched formal peace talks at the Annapolis, Maryland, over a "two-state solution" that could lead to an independent Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem.

 

Abbas said earlier that the Palestinians' goal is to establish an independent state of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital.

 

Abbas expressed the hope that the two sides would conclude all final-status negotiations on the issues of Jerusalem, refugees, settlements, borders, water resources and security, and reach a solution that can be put into practice by the end of 2008.

 

(Xinhua News Agency December 3, 2007)