BY STUART WINER AND LAZAR BERMAN October 27, 2013,
A ministerial committee headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved on Sunday the names of 26 Palestinian prisoners to go free on Tuesday. The planned release constitutes the second phase of a four-stage prisoner release deal, agreed to as part of ongoing US-brokered peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians.
A government statement said 21 of the inmates were from the West Bank and five were from the Gaza Strip. “A list of the prisoners is to be published Sunday night on the website of the Israel Prisons Service, after the bereaved families have been informed,” the statement said.
All of the prisoners committed their crimes before the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993.
The releases were expected to be accompanied by the announcement of new plans for West Bank settlement construction, a senior Israeli official said.
The religious, nationalist Jewish Home party has bitterly attacked the planned prisoner releases in recent days. On Sunday, the party proposed legislation to prevent future releases. Opposed by Netanyahu, the bill was rejected by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation in an 8-5 vote.
The Jewish Home’s decision to push forward with the bill drew harsh criticism from Likud ministers and other coalition partners.
Justice Minister Tzipi Livni (Hatnua), who is heading off negotiations with the Palestinians, criticized Jewish Home and said that the committee vote showed which coalition parties truly had the nation’s needs at heart.
“Today it has once again been made clear that the government, in contrast to one of its member parties, is acting in the national interest and not according to the instructions of the rabbis in the West Bank,” she said.
Interior Minister Gideon Sa’ar (Likud) denounced the Jewish Home ministers for failing to toe the government line.
“You are responsible just like all the other members of the government,” he said to Pensioners Minister Uri Orbach (Jewish Home). “If you don’t like it, you can resign.”
Although the prisoner release deal was approved by Netanyahu, Jewish Home, led by Economics Minister Naftali Bennett, blamed Livni for it.
MK Ayelet Shaked of Jewish Home told Channel 2 Saturday that Jewish Home had made its opposition clear to Netanyahu. ”We told the prime minister that we are against the release of terrorists. It’s immoral. No other country in the world does it,” she said.
Jewish Home also made plain it was not appeased by news of further homes to be built in the settlements. In a statement on Thursday, the party said that “the attempt to link the release of the murderers to construction tenders is manipulative and morally wrong. It will be better if the prime minister does not release murderers and does not build. This looks like a despicable attempt to free murderers and tarnish the settlement enterprise.”
A senior Israeli official said the Americans and Palestinians were aware of Israel’s intentions to build more settlement homes, which had been made clear before talks resumed. The official said that any new construction would take place inside the major blocs Israel aims to keep in any future peace deal. In previous rounds of negotiations, the Palestinians agreed in principle to swap some West Bank land for Israeli territory to allow Israel to annex some settled areas adjacent to the 1967 lines.
Netanyahu has faced pressure from hawkish ministers to delay or cancel the prisoner releases in the wake of a series of violent incidents in the West Bank in recent weeks, including the killing of two IDF soldiers and an attack that wounded a 9-year-old girl in the settlement of Psagot.
Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon (Likud) also slammed the planned prisoner release, saying it only strengthened terror. ”We’ll see the celebrations in Gaza, in Ramallah, in Nablus. This only strengthens those who seek to harm [us],” he told Army Radio Saturday. ”Any approval of settlement construction should not be linked to these releases,” he added.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, center, waves with the released Palestinian prisoners at his headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Wednesday, Aug. 14 , 2013. (photo credit: AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, center, waves with the released Palestinian prisoners at his headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Wednesday, August 14, 2013. (photo credit: AP/Majdi Mohammed)
Netanyahu has resisted the pressure from the right and plans to release the prisoners on schedule, the prime minister’s representative in the peace talks, attorney Yitzhak Molcho, assured Palestinian and American officials in recent days.
In July, Israel agreed to the four-phase release of 104 prisoners, many of whom were convicted of brutal murders, serving sentences for acts of terror committed before the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993. Twenty-six prisoners were released in the first wave on August 13, just after talks started.
The deal was intended as a sign of good faith ahead of the renewed American-brokered peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
CuriousAmerican Said:
Jeiwsh lives are lost becuase Jewish response is too trivial and predictable. The only way to stop Jewish lives from being lost is to make the price too high to pay. Didnt you see the newly appointed Pundhak and how he attained “peace” in gaza? Facts are better indicators than hopes and ideals. This means abandoning concepts like proportionate response. Under all these peace concepts jewish lives continue to be lost. It would be better to change the perspective and view the Pals as an enemy until they prove otherwise. It is unrealistic to consider them “partners for peace”. If the pals leave voluntarily then fine,, if not the only solution that is sustainable and permanent is transfer and the only 100% guaranteed transfer is Israel adopting a unilateral policy of providing transportation across the border. They can then choose war or resettlement so far they have only chosen war. they will not choose resettlement until it is forced on all those who facilitate the current problem: EU, UN, Arabs). the only question the will be War or resettlement. If the arbs are sensible they will then choose resettlement because going to war can backfire whereas funding your program of resettlement to south america would give them more internal stability. The arab rulers only care about their own power, rule, money and safety. Every thing else is subservient to that agenda.
Then don’t tell the Palestinians what you are going to do; but if Jewish lives are lost – don’t blame me.
Nuts!
CuriousAmerican Said:
Why is this important? Does anyone ever tell the jews anything before it happens?
CuriousAmerican Said:
What went over well with those you mention was the holocaust, the reneging of legally binding international agreements with the jews, the ethnic cleansing of jews from arab territories and the ignoring of the Geneva Conventions thereof,the proliferation of the libel of illegal Jewish settlement of YS, the throat slitting of Jewish babies,the lie of the equality of the conflict, etc etc etc etc etc……………..
Perhaps “things going over well” with those you mention is a kiss of death for the Jews.
P.M. Netanyahu is totally debased by his treachery against his own country. I wish that Israel had the guts to tell Obama that if Jonathan Pollard is not released immediately then Israel will end the so-called ‘peace process’ and blame Obama.
MK Haetzni, I mean
Here is the deal …
If you do not want to release the prisoners, then publicly declare no to the peace process.
I have no problem with that.
Then tell the 2+/- Million Palestinians how you are going to deal with them in J&S.
Every Jewish site which takes a hardline Zionist view does not want to enfranchise the Palestinians. Such disenfranchisement will be an easy sell to Yamit, MK HaNaetzi or the Women in Green, or bernard ross; but it will not go over well with the Palestinians or the world, even the USA.
In continuing to rebel against Heaven by subverting justice again, Israel has ensured more Jews will die.
“All of the prisoners committed their crimes before the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993.”
What difference it makes whether the nazi-terrorist perpetrated their crimes prior or after the Oslo Accords, since there is no crime without punishment.
Terrorists are common enemies of humankind as stipulated in the Nuremberg Principles, and they deserve punishment according to their savage and barbaric crimes.
INJustice Minister Tzipi Livni should go back to school to learn that terrorism is a serious crime under international law, and that there is a solidarily liability among all states to fight against terrorism.
No state on Earth would release terrorists as a “goodwill gesture”. No state on Earth possesses any authority to pardon violations of international law. No reason on Earth justifies such absurd and immoral performances.
By releasing these criminals, the Israeli government is once again complicit with criminals and, therefore, is directly complicit of crimes against humanity, for the past criminal acts as well as for the future ones against its citizens and soldiers.
The one person who continues to say nothing…..
the one person who believes he is above accountability……
The one person who offers whispers of behind the scenes deals that, like Sharon’s deals with Bush, never materialize…
The one person who chose Livni as Justice minister to thwart the Levy report….
The one person who who chose Livni to negotiate with the Pals…..
The one person who commissioned the Levy Report knowing the conclusion……
The one person who approved and touted E1 before the election…
The one person who ignored the Levy Report and E1 after the election……
The one person who with a flourish of his hand can authorize Jewish settlement in the west bank under Levy report……
The one person who can initiate E1 construction……..
The one person who stands in the way of jewish settlement rights in YS…………….
The rest are just putting on a show for their constituents to demonstrate their fake loyalty to their platforms….