BEIT-UL-MOQADDAS (AP) -- Israel will free 250 Palestinian prisoners later this week — nearly all of them from the Fatah faction of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a spokesman for the Israeli prime minister said.

The release, intended to bolster Abbas in his struggle against the Hamas, will take place Friday, said Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's spokesman. He said 85 percent of the prisoners would come from Abbas' Fatah faction, with the rest from smaller Palestinian parties. None will come from Hamas, he said. Israel announced the release after a meeting between Olmert and Abbas. Both sides described the talks as positive, although Palestinian officials expressed hope the talks could soon move onto more substantive issues. Israel has been trying to boost Abbas since Hamas routed his forces and violently took control of the Gaza Strip last month. Abbas dissolved a coalition with Hamas and formed a new moderate government based in the West Bank. Abbas' new government has been embraced by the West, while Gaza faces deep isolation. The planned release is the latest step taken by Israel to help Abbas. It also has unfrozen more than $100 million in Palestinian tax funds, offered amnesty to nearly 200 Fatah gunmen in the West Bank, and scaled back arrest raids against Palestinian militants. Olmert's spokesman, Jacob Galanti, said none of the prisoners has been directly involved in deadly attacks on Israelis, although some are connected to violent groups. He said all prisoners would have to sign a pledge renouncing violence or face even tougher prison terms. Olmert first promised the prisoner release at a summit with Abbas in Egypt last month. But the deal was held up while Israeli security officials finalized a list of people who could be freed. Israel holds some 10,000 Palestinian prisoners. The list of prisoners was expected to be published after getting final approval by a committee of Cabinet ministers, officials said. Olmert and Abbas also agreed to meet again in two weeks, most likely in the West Bank town of Jericho, Galanti said. It would be the first meeting of the men on Palestinian territory. However, past pledges for them to meet in the West Bank have not been carried out. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, a participant in Monday's meeting, said it was positive. "We welcome the release of any Palestinian prisoners," he said, while urging Israel to free even more. But he said Abbas urged the Israelis to expand their contacts and restart talks on a final peace agreement. Abbas has repeatedly urged Israel to resume talks aimed at creating an independent Palestinian state. Negotiations broke down six years ago after the outbreak of the second Palestinian uprising. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri called Abbas' meeting with Olmert a "disgrace" and accused the Palestinian leader of "coordinating with the occupation against Hamas." Miri Eisin, another Israeli government official, said the leaders discussed how to best realize the vision of "the Palestinian state and the Israeli state side by side in security and peace." Under U.S. prodding, Israel has agreed to discuss the outlines of a final peace agreement but said it is premature to launch full-fledged negotiations in the current climate. Israeli officials said Abbas must first build up his strength in the West Bank. "We can say that it was a good beginning. I don't want to raise anyone's expectation," Erekat said