Quds city, April 17, SPA -- Israel's Cabinet on Sunday unanimously approved the release of nine Jordanian prisoners, officials in the meeting said. Jordan, which signed a peace agreement with Israel in 1994, has long demanded the release of the more than 20 Jordanians held in Israeli prisons. Under Sunday's decision, nine of the prisoners will be released in the coming days. Four of the prisoners are accused of being directly involved in attacks on Israelis, and the government refuses to release them. It wasn't immediately clear why other prisoners weren't included in the upcoming release. Jordan's King Abdullah II indicated during an interview with Israeli TV in March that he would agree to the initial release of the group not involved in attacking Israelis, and would then negotiate the release of the four involved in violence. Earlier this month, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said Israel had informed them that it would be releasing prisoners this month, setting the ground for a visit to Jordan by Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom.
