Israel has agreed to release 104 long-held Palestinian prisoners in a move that could see the resumption of peace talks after a three-year diplomatic standstill.
The highly contentious decision will see the release of prisoners who have served between 19 and 30 years for taking part in deadly attacks on Israel in four stages over nine months.
The vote saw 13 ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's 22-strong cabinet vote in favour of the wide-scale release. Seven voted against and two abstained, according to a government official.
A statement released by the prime minister's office following the vote said: "The government approved the opening of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians ... and mandated a ministerial committee for the release of prisoners during the course of the talks."
The list of the prisoners has been provided by the Palestinians, who have made their release a condition of participating in Washington-based talks about restarting peace negotiations with Israel.
Jewish settler homes in the West Bank As part of the deal, brokered by US Secretary of State John Kerry, they agreed to talks despite Israel's refusal to stop settlement building on land the Palestinians consider should be theirs.
The chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erakat, hailed the vote and said: "We welcome the Israeli government's decision to release the prisoners.
"We consider this an important step and hope to be able to seize the opportunity provided by the American administration's efforts."
The talks between the two sides, the first since discussions stalled in September 2010, are due to begin on Tuesday.
The Palestinians want to establish a state which comprises the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, lands which the Israelis captured in the 1967 six-day war.
Palestinians celebrate UN statehood decision Late last year, the UN General Assembly recognised the State of Palestine within those 1967 borders.
In an attempt to secure talks as a precursor to the restarting of proper peace negotiations, Mr Netanyahu wrote an open letter to the Israeli public.
In it he said: "I agreed to release 104 Palestinians in measured stages, after the start of the negotiations and in accordance with their progress.
"This is an incredibly difficult decision. It's painful to the bereaved families, it pains the entire people of Israel, and it's very painful to me."
Qadura Fares, head of the Palestinian Prisoners' Club which tracks the well-being of Palestinians in Israeli jails, said there would be no talks unless all 104 prisoners returned to their homes.
"If they don't free all of them, there will be no negotiations," he told public radio.
In past deals, Israel has expelled some freed prisoners from the occupied West Bank or annexed east Jerusalem to the Gaza Strip or abroad, but Fares said that would not be acceptable this time.
"Expulsion is punishment," he said. "These people, who are now over 50 years old, all of them sick, need to be released to their homes."
Around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners are held in Israeli jails, according to the latest figures at the end of June.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Israel Agrees Release Of Palestinian Prisoners
Dengan url
http://buangdwiet.blogspot.com/2013/07/israel-agrees-release-of-palestinian.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Israel Agrees Release Of Palestinian Prisoners
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Israel Agrees Release Of Palestinian Prisoners
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar