Jerusalem: Israel's Cabinet voted on July 27 to release up to 100 Hamas and Islamic Jihad prisoners, Israel Radio and Army Radio report.

The reports said that ahead of Prime Minster Ariel Sharon's visit to Washington this week, ministers voted by 14-9 to authorise the release of the militants, a goodwill gesture toward the Palestinians.

The Palestinians want Israel to release most of the estimated 7,700 Palestinian prisoners it holds. Israel has agreed to free a few hundred, but had previously said these would not include members of the Islamic militant groups Hamas and Islamic jihad.

Sharon hopes Cabinet approval for the release of about 100 inmates who are members of those groups will help ease pressure on him, and show Israel is committed to the US-backed "road map" plan for Mid East peace.

The Cabinet vote represents a reversal of Sharon's original prisoner release policy. At a Cabinet meeting two weeks ago he said that the releases would be confined to members of non-Islamic Palestinian movements who had not been involved in acts of violence.

Sharon is due to fly to Washington on July 27 and meet President George W Bush on July 29.

Bush, who met Palestinian premier Mahmoud Abbas, wants both sides to fulfil their commitments under the road map, which aims to bring an end to violence and establish a Palestinian state by 2005.

Agencies