Israel rejects appeal against prisoner release

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel is moving forward with a plan to build nearly 900 new settlement housing units in east Jerusalem, an official said Tuesday, in a move that angered Palestinians a day before the sides were to hold Mideast peace talks for the first time in nearly five years.

The Israeli announcement threatened to poison the atmosphere ahead of Wednesday's talks, which come after months of mediation by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. In an initial gesture ahead of the talks, Israel was set to release 26 Palestinian prisoners late Tuesday.

The last round of substantive talks collapsed in late 2008, and negotiations have remained stalled mainly over the issue of Israeli settlement construction on territories claimed by the Palestinians for their future state. The Palestinians say the settlements, now home to more than 500,000 Israelis, is making it increasingly difficult to carve out their state and that continued Israeli construction is a sign of bad faith.

Hanan Ashrawi, a senior Palestinian official, said Israel's settlement plans are a slap in the face of the Palestinians and Kerry. "It is not just deliberate sabotage of the talks, but really a destruction of the outcome," she said.

Ashrawi urged Kerry "to stand up to Israel" and deliver a tough response.

The latest construction is to take place in Gilo, an area in east Jerusalem that Israel considers to be a neighborhood of its capital. Israel's annexation of east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians claim as their capital, is not internationally recognized.

Efrat Orbach, an Interior Ministry spokeswoman, confirmed that approval had been given for expanding the Jewish neighborhood of Gilo.

The housing plan, which received initial approval last year, would expand Gilo's boundaries further toward a Palestinian neighborhood. The plans for 900 housing units in Gilo come in addition to an earlier announcement this week of some 1,200 other settlement homes in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

Orbach said more approvals are needed and it could take years before construction begins. But Lior Amihai of anti-settlement group Peace Now, said the plan needs no further approval and construction could begin within weeks.

The Palestinians have refused to resume negotiations with Israel unless Israel halted its settlement construction, a demand that Israel has refused.

After six trips to the region, Kerry managed to persuade Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to drop the settlement issue as a condition for negotiations to start.

In exchange, Kerry Israeli agreement to answer another Palestinian demand and release 104 Palestinian prisoners serving long sentences, many for involvement in killing Israelis. The first batch of 26 inmates was set to be released by midnight (2100 GMT, 7 p.m. EDT).

Israel's Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal by families who lost loved ones in Palestinian attacks to block the release.

http://xfinity.comcast.net/articles/news-general/20130813/ML-Israel-Palestinians/

[Jacque67 7,328]

Kerry is a wimp. Let's hope the other 104 are released(doubt it).

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Prisoners for land is not a viable solution.

[Jacque67 7,328]

Exactly. The US is trying to trick the Paestinians. There is a powerful Zionist lobby in the States. Britain is largely to blame for the Israeli problematic. I hope no more American etc soldiers have to sacrifice their lives in this Arab conflict.

Edited August 13, 2013 by Jacque67

[Karee 4,191]

The Jews on Facebook are flipping out about releasing these prisoners. I guess they need to look at the big picture and realize this is simply a way for Israel to annex more land illegally, and if anyone gives them $hit about it, they can point to this prisoner release and tell them STFU. Sorry if I don't believe the Israeli govt. is doing this out of the goodness of their heart or to advance the peace process.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

It's just a game. For every Palestinian prisoner that Israel releases, it arrests 4 more - often, children.

Despite the Israeli government’s attempt at making “goodwill gestures” in negotiations by releasing Palestinian prisoners, these releases have been followed by widespread and mass arrests that increase the numbers held in Israeli jails. Addameer anticipates that the policies of arrest and arbitrary detention will continue throughout this negotiations period and afterwards, as it has in the past

...

...although Israel promises to release prisoners in every return to negotiations since Oslo I in 1993, they often renege partially or completely on the agreements, in direct violation of Vienna Convention of the Law of Treaties (1969), which affirms that agreements between two party states are binding. Indeed, over 23,000 Palestinians have been released since 1993 as “goodwill measures” during various negotiations and peace talks. However, in that same period, at least 86,000 Palestinians have been arrested, including children, women, disabled persons and university students.

http://www.addameer.org/etemplate.php?id=631

Meanwhile, as these historic "peace negotiations" get underway, Israel announces mammoth new illegal settlement construction, and launches another attack on Gaza....