The statement said the proposed legislation would comply with international law and the ruling It would “permit the holding of ‘illegal fighters’… such as members of Hizbollah, by methods other than administrative detention”.But there was scepticism among human rights activists, who have long criticised Israel over hostage-taking. They suspect the move is a means of providing the Defence Minister – at present, Mr Barak himself – with new legal powers for holding hostages.”There is no way that a law which legalises the holding of hostages can conform to international standards,” an Amnesty spokesman said.Hostage-taking by a government is a violation of the Geneva Convention. Zvi Rish, the Israeli lawyer representing the Lebanese hostages, said: “It is not proper in a democraticsociety to have such legislation.

Israel will be the only country in the world which will permit itself by law to hold hostages. That can be the only meaning of such a law – to hold hostages.”Chief targets of the proposed new law are Sheikh Abdel Karim Obeid, an Islamic cleric, and Mustapha Dirani, a militia official, who were abducted from Lebanon by Israeli commandos in 1989 and 1994 respectively and have since been held in “administrative detention” without charge or trial.The cabinet may also have been preparing the ground for holding on to at least some of the scores of Lebanese in Khiam prison, under the control of the South Lebanon Army, in Israel’s occupation zone.Israel has admitted that Sheikh Obeid and Mr Dirani are held as bargaining chips to press for the release of its missing servicemen, notably the airman Ron Arad. Ignoring calls from international human rights groups to release the two, alongside the 13 other hostages,today, the security cabinet said it would make a “special effort to guarantee” their continueddetention. The security cabinet also decided categorically that the 13 Lebanese would be freed.They are due to return to Lebanon today, although there were reports in the Israeli media last night that their release will be delayed for a third time, because of a last-minute legal application by the Arad family. The timing reflects the Israeli government’s anxiety to get what it regards as unsavoury business over and done with, just when the country is closing down for Passover and, for once, paying little attention to politics.. At the behest of the Supreme Court, Israel has reluctantly released 13 Lebanese prisoners it had held for more than a decade as bargaining chips in trying to secure the return of a missing Israeli airman.

At the behest of the Supreme Court, Israel has reluctantly released 13 Lebanese prisoners it had held for more than a decade as bargaining chips in trying to secure the return of a missing Israeli airman.
The release capped a week of anguished debate in the Jewish state over whether all means are permissible to secure the return of missing Israeli airmen.In a dramatic finish, the family of missing navigator Ron Arad appealed to the Supreme Court, seeking to block the release at the last minute.Arad’s mother, Batya, pleaded with the judges not to abandon her son who has been held for 4,969 days. “Look me straight in the eyes,” she said, on the verge of tears. “What would you do if your son or grandson were in the same situation?”However, Chief Justice Aharon Barak said that while the court understood hers pain, it had to uphold the law. The government is doing all it can to bring back the MIA, Barak said, but that “this has to be done within the framework of the law.”After the court ruled, the blindfolded and handcuffed prisoners were driven from an army base to the Fatima Gate, an Israeli-Lebanese border crossing, where they were transferred to a bus of the International Committee of the Red Cross.The formal handover was to take place at a Lebanese army checkpoint at Kfar Tibnit, a village on the northern edge of the Israel-occupied zone in south Lebanon.Relatives have been eagerly waiting at Kfar Tibnit for several days. The checkpoint, one of several crossing points linking the Israeli-occupied zone with the rest of Lebanon, was packed with about 2,000 people, including guerrilla supporters who carried flags of the Hezbollah and Amal groups as well as Lebanese flags.The Israeli Supreme Court had ordered the release of the prisoners last week, ruling that they cannot be held as “bargaining chips” in efforts to return Israeli nationals. But the release was delayed by another petition – which was thrown out on Monday – and government attempts to quickly draft legislation to keep them imprisoned.But Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s Cabinet backed down from enacting the emergency bill, saying that it will instead introduce legislation to ensure that two additional prisoners, both affiliated with Lebanese guerrilla groups, would continue to be held in Israel.The government now says that releasing Mustafa Dirani, the Amal guerrilla group’s security chief and Sheik Abdel Karim Obeid, spiritual leader of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah organization, would threaten Israel’s security.

Both groups are battling Israel in south Lebanon.Israel is formally at war with Lebanon and engages guerrilla groups in a border zone it occupies there to protect its frontier towns.The 13 were taken prisoner in Lebanon, beginning in 1986, during roundups of sympathisers of guerrilla organisations Some of them were teenagers at the time. Many served sentences, but were kept in custody after their sentences ran out.Security officials have said that they never posed an actual threat to Israeli security but were meant to be used to negotiate the return Arad and others who share his plight.Arad was captured by Lebanese guerrillas after his plane was shot down in 1986, and many Israelis believe he is still alive. Another three MIAs have been missing since 1983.Obeid, seized in 1986, and Dirani, captured in 1994, were to remain in detention while their case is considered. The next hearing before a Tel Aviv District court is set for May 8.. China scored a diplomatic victory yesterday by preventing a UN vote on a United States-backed motion condemning Peking for suppressing religion and crushing dissent. China scored a diplomatic victory yesterday by preventing a UN vote on a United States-backed motion condemning Peking for suppressing religion and crushing dissent.
The result is a setback for the US, which had pressed for the UN Human Rights Commission, holding its annual session in Geneva, to censure China for its treatment of members of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement.The US resolution also pointed to “severe restrictions on the rights of citizens” over the past year and protested against “increased restrictions” on Tibetans’ freedoms and the “harsh crackdown” on government opponents.Peking rallied developing countries to ensure that a “no action” resolution went through by 22-18 votes.