Israel is considering making a series of gestures to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, such as releasing more Palestinian prisoners, in order to reduce the damage caused by latest swap deal with Hamas.

Israel is considering making a series of gestures to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, such as releasing more Palestinian prisoners, in order to reduce the damage caused to the Palestinian Authority after Hamas's successful operation that caused the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

This initiative that was proposed by the Israel Defense Forces' General Staff, was opposed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's advisers who considered that “PA President Mahmoud Abbas should be punished for his unilateral bid for UN recognition of a Palestinian state,” Haaretz reported.

The Israeli daily quoted one of the advisors as saying: "We don't want the Palestinian Authority to collapse… but if it happens, it won't be the end of the world."

“Next month, the IDF will give the government a list of the gestures it recommends, including releasing additional Palestinian prisoners and perhaps transferring additional parts of the West Bank to Palestinian security control. The army considers this necessary to help Abbas regain the upper hand in his ongoing battle with Hamas for control of the territories, since Israel's intelligence agencies all concur that the Shalit deal, in which Hamas obtained the release of 1,027 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for one kidnapped soldier, bolstered the Islamic organization at the PA's expense,” Haaretz clarified.

It further quoted one Israeli official as saying that “Abbas thinks the deal was deliberately intended to strengthen Hamas and weaken him, in order to punish him for his UN bid.”

The second stage of the swap deal between Hamas and the Zionist entity will lead to the release of 550 more prisoners. According to Haaretz, most of them will be Fatah members, while the Israeli army is studying releasing more than 550 as “a gesture to Abbas in honor of Al-Adha holiday.”

IDF’s proposal also included putting areas in the West Bank under the Palestinians’ control.

“Another proposal is to transfer part of what is known as Area B - areas of the West Bank that, according to the Oslo Accords, are under Palestinian civilian control but Israeli security control - to Area A, which is under full Palestinian control,” Haaretz reported.