For the Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza, the prisoner issue is of such great importance that their National Authority risked the collapse of negotiations over implementation of October's Wye Memorandum to secure freedom for a maximum number.
By sticking to its demand, the Palestine Authority has achieved a minor tactical victory. Protracted disagreement forced the US Secretary of State, Ms Madeleine Albright, to intervene in the talks.
Washington had promised the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr Ehud Barak, that it would not become directly involved. This pledge reinforced the Clinton administration's reluctance to play a prominent role in the run-up to and during the presidential and congressional election campaign.
However, faced with an impasse over 50 Palestinian "politicals", Ms Albright had to mediate.
The Palestinian Authority hopes the US will remain as firmly engaged during the extremely difficult "final status" negotiations. The Palestinians prefer trilateral talks because US involvement has produced pressure on Israel to move forward and honour commitments.
The freeing by Israel of a substantial number of the 2,000 "politicals" is a major strategic objective for the authority for many reasons. First and foremost, the release of the prisoners, considered by the Palestinians to be "soldiers", implies recognition by Israel of the legitimacy of the Palestinian fight for independence.
The authority insists that prisoners from groups other than Mr Arafat's mainstream Fateh should be included. By insisting on their release, the authority is trying to broaden popular support for the peace process.
Palestinian and Israeli proponents of total release have made the point that it is not logical to hold the "soldiers" any longer because Israel is negotiating with the commanders who issued the orders to shed Israeli blood. Israeli participants observed that Mr Barak and many of his minister had Palestinian "blood on their hands".
The prisoner issue touches the entire Palestinian population of the territories as at least one member of every family has spent time in jail. According to Israeli human rights activists, 80 to 85 per cent of Palestinian detainees suffer torture during interrogation or abuse while in prison. Many are tried in batches and sentenced to long terms without a proper defence. Family members find it difficult to visit prisons because of movement curbs and the need for passes.
For Palestinians, prisoner releases are proof that the authority is securing some benefit from the Oslo process. The lives of ordinary Palestinians have been complicated by Israel's transfer of small parcels of land to the authority. Palestinians find themselves confined to enclaves, unable to travel freely in the West Bank and Gaza or between them.
As a result, Israeli withdrawals from scraps of territory do not impress the Palestinian public very much. This is why the authority was prepared to risk the loss of a 2 per cent territorial bonus to free prisoners.