Israel releases one Hamas leader, Abbas vows to maintain security

The Israeli authorities yesterday released one of the main leaders of the Islamic resistance movement ( Hamas ) in the West Bank after two years of holding him in the Israeli jails under the accusation of being a Hamas member.

One of the sons of the leading figure Hassan Youssef ( 50 year old) said that his father headed directly after his release to the headquarters of the Palestinian authority in Ramullah to visit the tomb of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

Hassan was arrested by the occupation army near Ramullah more than two years and was sentenced to 28 months imprisonment in Ofer military camp to the south of Ramullah over his links to Islamic charity societies which have links to Hamas movement.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the PLO executive committee Mahmoud Abbas vowed to end all armed demonstration and to put an end to what he called disorder in the Palestinian territories before the presidential elections due on January 9th, 2005.