Arafat’s puppet prime minister, Ahmed Qureia, says that in order to make progress toward “peace” (there’s that word again), Israel must immediately release all Palestinian terrorists from jail.

GAZA CITY (AFP) - Any progress in the Middle East peace process is dependent on the release of all the 8,000 Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli jails, prime minister Ahmed Qorei warned.

In a statement released to mark the start of an open-ended hunger strike by the prisoners, Qorei said their plight was one of his administration’s top priorities.

“The release of all the prisoners is an essential condition for any solution or progress in the peace process,” the prime minister said Sunday.