The Saudi government has released 1,500 al Qaeda members, requiring only that each one pledge not to engage in jihad in the Arabian Peninsula.

Saudi newspaper al Watan reported that a special “advice committee” composed of more than 100 preachers and Islamic law experts and 30 psychologists and social workers was formed three years ago to convince militants to renounce takfir ideology, which is held by extremists who declare other Muslims infidels and worthy of execution. Militants who embrace takfir use it to legitimize terrorism, overthrowing governments and supporting the establishment of a worldwide Islamic state, according to Agence France-Presse.

The newly released 1,500 al Qaeda members amounted to nearly half of the 3,200 militants the committee counseled.

The timing of the release came shortly before the Annapolis conference, Washington’s newest attempt to solve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians as well as other anti-Israeli governments in the Middle East.

The presence of Arab nations including Saudi Arabia was considered a success for U.S. President George W. Bush, who convinced a number of Arab senior-level delegates to participate. Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal’s presence marked the first time Saudi Arabia has participated in a formal international Israeli-Palestinian Arab conflict peace conference, the New York Sunreports.

Faisal, however, stated in Paris before arriving in Maryland that he would not shake Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s hand. He also insisted that Israel return to 1967 borders. Saudi Arabia does not recognize Israel.

Riyadh releasing 1,500 al Qaeda members just before such an important conference in which President Bush emphasized the struggle against jihadist extremism, shows that Saudi Arabia’s involvement is not quite the diplomatic coup the White House had hoped for. Expect ongoing peace negotiations to lead to further frustrations and more bloodletting. To learn more about the Middle Eastern peace process, read “Israel’s Bleeding Wound.”