Israel releases 13 Lebanese detainees
Lebanon-Israel, Politics, 4/19/2000

The Lebanese daily al-Nahar said today, quoting a European source, that the Israeli forces at the occupied border strip started collecting all heavy weapons including tanks and heavy artillery from the pro-Israel South Lebanon Army militia, while the commander of the SLA, Lt. Gen. Antoine Lahd, has started preparations to transfer his home to Paris.

The source said that Ireland proposed to receive officers of the SLA following the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from south Lebanon.

Meanwhile, the Israeli government was subjected to the Israeli court and announced on Tuesday that will release today 13 Lebanese "administrative" prisoners out of 15 who have been held by Israel for many years. But the Israeli court approved the extension of the "administrative detention" of Sheikh Abdul Karim Obeid, who was kidnapped in 1989 and Mustafa al-Deirani, who was kidnapped in 1994, adding that the Israeli supreme court will meet again on May 8 to reconsider an appeal to release the two men.

The release decision of the 13 Lebanese, postponed twice during the recent days, was taken by the Israeli mini-Cabinet in a meeting held under the chairmanship of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.

SANA, on the other hand, reported that Israeli Minister of Justice Yossi Beilin renewed his government's opposition to the release Lebanese citizens Sheikh Abdul Karim Obeid and Mustafa al-Deirani.

In an interview with the Hebrew-language Israeli Army Radio on Tuesday Beilin said that the release of detainees and prisoners is the specialty of what he called the higher supreme court, which is authorized to take legal measures to this effect, and thereby Beilin ignores that Obeid and al-Deirani are Lebanese citizens, kidnapped by Israel from inside the Lebanese territories.

On Tuesday, the Israeli government set up a committee chaired by Beilin to draw a draft bill that authorizes the Israeli government to prevent the release of detainees and not to investigate the accusations addressed to them.

Previous Stories:
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  Al-Hoss describes issue of detainees and captives as the great national cause   (3/22/2000)

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