JERUSALEM AP Palestinians stepped up their demands Tuesday for the release of prisoners jailed for anti-Israel acts but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would not budge on the issue. At a rally for prisoner releases in the West Bank city of Ramallah Ahmed Qureai speaker of the Palestinian legislature alluded to the six-year Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation when he told the crowd ``the leadership that threw stones is prepared once again to throw stones in order to free the people and to free the land.'' The comments drew a sharp response from Israel. ``The prime minister will not tolerate threats of violence'' read a statement issued by Netanyahu's office. Ahmed Tibi an adviser to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat appealed to U.S. President Bill Clinton to resolve growing tensions over Israel's refusal so-called security prisoners. Netanyahu said he could not release prisoners who had been involved in attacks on Israelis. ``I will not back down on this'' he vowed. The issue which has prompted clashes between stone-throwing Palestinian youths and Israeli soldiers is raising concern about an outbreak of violence in advance of Clinton's Dec. 12-15 visit to Israel and the Palestinian-ruled lands. The Israeli daily Haaretz reported that Israeli security officials had urged Netanyahu to agree to free more Palestinian activists in order to prevent rioting. Palestinians claim that Israel promised at the Wye River summit last month to free 750 prisoners from political factions such as Arafat's Fatah group. Israel released 250 prisoners last month but most were car thieves and petty crooks. ``This deception is creating demonstrations anger and frustration in the Palestinian community'' Tibi told a Foreign Press Association news conference. Demonstrations have been held almost daily in support of Palestinian prisoners with some of the anger turned on Arafat and his government. Several hundred demonstrators gathered at rallies in Ramallah and in the Gaza Strip where about 150 children called for the release of their fathers. ``How can we live without our fathers?'' said Fidda Washah 16 who addressed the rally. Her father Jabar a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine faction has served 14 years of a life sentence for attacking Israeli soldiers. Netanyahu said he would not release anyone ``with blood on their hands'' or members of the Islamic militant group Hamas. ``The Palestinians are claiming falsely that I suggested somehow to free murders at Wye'' Netanyahu told reporters. Israeli officials say only about 110 of the 2500 Palestinian activists behind bars could be let go in the next release scheduled to take place just after Clinton's visit. Tibi who was spokesman for the Palestinian delegation at Wye Mills Md. said only about 300 of the Palestinians currently in jail had been involved in attacks that killed Israelis. The rest he described as ``political prisoners.'' He said about 1250 prisoners who were members of various PLO factions and the remainder belonged to Hamas. ``We would very much like him Clinton to interfere in the issue of Palestinian prisoners'' said Tibi. David Bar-Illan a senior adviser to Netanyahu said Israel would not agree to loosen the definition and free Palestinians involved in attacks that only injured Israelis. ``We will not budge on this one'' Bar-Illan said adding Israel had freed more than 7000 prisoners over the past five years. Palestinian officials called on residents of the West Bank to confront Israeli bulldozers that are expanding settlements or building roads to link Israeli-controlled areas of the West Bank and Israel. ``Settlement activity should be resisted'' said Tibi. ``Settlers are public enemy No. 1 to Palestinians.'' Several members of the Palestinian legislative council are considering a boycott of Clinton's speech in Gaza City on Dec. 14 to show their anger over a failure by the United States to pressure Israel on the settlement and prisoner issues. In traditionally Arab east Jerusalem meanwhile Israeli contractors bidding on the Har Homa Jewish housing project in visited the construction site where left-wing Israelis staged a protest. Police detained three demonstrators from the Peace Now group trying to disrupt the tour. The Palestinians hope to establish a future capital in east Jerusalem. They say Har Homa is part of an Israeli plan to cut off the Palestinian neighborhoods in Jerusalem from their hinterland in Bethlehem and the southern West Bank. UR; nbt-kl/dl APW19981201.0939.txt.body.html APW19981201.0599.txt.body.html