Israel to return 130 terrorists’ bodies to the PA
Gesture to Abbas intended as confidence-building measure
Israel is soon to return the bodies of 130 terrorists to the Palestinian Authority as a confidence-building measure.
Although a year ago Israel had reportedly agreed to return bodies of 84 terrorists buried in Israel, that deal was accidentally publicized and then quickly nixed by the government since Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was still being held captive in Gaza at the time.
Palestinian officials believe that the body transfer will occur in the coming days, and may well take place over the coming weekend, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.
The newspaper reported that the deal was closed by Israeli prime ministerial envoy Yitzhak Molcho during his meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah earlier in May.
Officials in Jerusalem hope that the transfer of the terrorists’ bodies will help renew the political process, according to Israel Radio.
