Israel limits privileges of Hamas prisoners

By Joseph Nasr

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's cabinet decided on Sunday to withhold Hamas prisoners' leisure and educational privileges until the Islamist group frees a captive Israeli soldier in the Gaza Strip, government officials said.

Egypt is trying to broker a prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas that will secure the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for soldier Gilad Shalit, who was captured in a cross-border raid by Gaza militants in 2006.

Some 11,000 Palestinians are held in Israeli jails, including some 4,000 Hamas members, Israeli officials said.

Israel is holding 48 lawmakers and cabinet ministers from Hamas, an Islamist group that is classified under Israeli law as an illegal organisation. Thirty-six were tried by Israeli courts and another 12 have been held without trial.

Under a proposal approved by the cabinet, Hamas inmates will be denied access to television, radio, newspapers, telephones and online education, and their jail canteen allowances will be reduced. Israel will also limit the number of family visits the prisoners are allowed each month, the government officials said.

Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann said the restrictions would not breach international law and Israel would continue to allow Red Cross workers to visit Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

Israel Radio reported that Palestinian prisoners had threatened to launch a hunger strike in protest at the move.

Hamas spokesman Mushir al-Masri said the Israeli decision was "provocative and cheap" and would not force the group to soften its demands of Israel in any prisoner exchange deal.

PUBLIC PRESSURE

The measures came amid increased public pressure on the government to secure Shalit's release and calls by ministers that Israel halt Red Cross visits to Hamas inmates until the Islamist group allowed similar visits to the captive soldier.

Political commentators said the move was also aimed at increasing pressure on Hamas in the brokered talks.

The measure was approved during outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's last cabinet meeting. A new government headed by Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu's rightist Likud party was due to be sworn in on Tuesday.

Olmert has intensified efforts to secure Shalit's release before the end of his term but the indirect, Egyptian-mediated talks have shown no apparent sign of progress.

Israel has agreed in principle to the idea of releasing hundreds of Palestinians convicted of violent attacks against Israelis but it has voiced reservations about some of the inmates Hamas wants freed.

Hamas has demanded the release of 1,400 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Shalit. Israel has repeatedly recovered both captured hostages and remains of slain soldiers from its conscript army through massively lopsided swaps.

(Additional reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza; Editing by Louise Ireland)