Israeli panel approves release of 26 prisoners

An Israeli ministerial committee last night approved a list of 26 veteran Palestinian prisoners who will be set free tomorrow as a goodwill gesture to the Palestinians ahead of the opening of substantive peace talks in Jerusalem on Wednesday.

The Israeli government approved the prisoner release last month, agreeing to free 104 long-term detainees, most of whom are classified by Israel as having "blood on their hands", meaning they participated in attacks in which Israelis were killed.

The supreme court convened yesterday to hear a petition by bereaved families against the move, claiming that 40 per cent of prisoners released in the past had resumed militant activities.

However, the court was almost certain to give the government the green light to go ahead with the release, demanded by the Palestinians as a precondition for attending the peace talks.

Three other prisoner releases are set to take place during the nine months allocated for the negotiations.

While Israel agreed, under heavy US pressure, to a prisoner release, Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu resisted Palestinian demands for a freeze on settlement building.

New homes approved
In an effort to placate right-wing ministers, Israel yesterday announced final approval of almost 1,200 new homes in West Bank settlements and Jewish neighbourhoods in east Jerusalem.

Israeli housing minister Uri Ariel, whose Jewish Home party is closely identified with the settlement enterprise, vowed that settlement expansion would continue despite the peace talks.

“No country in the world takes orders from other countries where it can build and where it can’t. We will continue to market housing and build in the entire country.”

Move criticised
However, the decision was criticised by more dovish members of the government, such as finance minister Yair Lapid, head of Yesh Atid, the second-largest party in the coalition.

“To use resources intended for the middle class to defy the Americans, together with putting spokes in the wheels of the peace process, is incorrect and is not helpful to the process,” he said.

Palestinian negotiator Mohammed Shtayyeh described the announcement as a slap in the face for the Americans.

“This proves Israel isn’t serious about negotiations and is trying to topple the foundations of the solution, which is establishing a Palestinian state in the ’67 borders.”

The peace talks will open in west Jerusalem on Wednesday and later move to the desert city of Jericho in the West Bank. The interlinked issues of borders, territory and settlements are the priority for Palestinian negotiators, who insist that the pre-1967 Green Line should be the basis of their future state.

The US shares this position but Israel refused to sign up to it in pre-talks discussions. – (Additional reporting: Guardian service)