Special report: Palestine-Israel Relations

    JERUSALEM, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Israel will release 199 Palestinian prisoners in the West Bank at 9:30 a.m. (0630 GMT) on Monday, as a gesture of goodwill to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, local daily Ha'aretz reported Sunday on its website.

    Israel on Sunday responded to appeals against the prisoner release by saying only the cabinet has the authority to revoke such a decision.

    The cabinet voted last week in favor of the release, which includes two prisoners convicted of murdering Israelis - both of whom have already spent nearly 30 years in jail - plus 197 convicted of lesser offenses, including attempted murder.

    The prisoners will be released on the same day U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrives in the region for talks on the peace process.

    On Saturday, Ashraf el-Ajrami, Minister of Prisoners' Affairs in the caretaker government led by Salam Fayyad had said Israel will release 199 Palestinian prisoners from its jails on Monday morning.

    El-Ajrami told reporters in Ramallah that the prisoners were supposed to be released last Friday, but their release was postponed until Monday morning due to technical problems.

    Last week, Shin Bet security agency chief Yuval Diskin said that the deal creates pressure on Hamas and is likely to accelerate the negotiations over kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

    According to official figures, Israel holds more than 11,000 prisoners in its jails, most of whom were arrested during the Intifada (uprising) which erupted against Israel in the Palestinian territories in late September 2000.