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Ministers to decide Palestinian prisoner release list on Saturday night
A ministerial committee will meet on Saturday night to determine which Palestinian prisoners will be the latest to be released next week as part of a move designed to help smooth the path of peace talks.
Israel has already released two groups of long-term Palestinian prisoners convicted of involvement in the murder of Israelis, in August and October, as part of an overall release of 104 Palestinian prisoners, which Israel agreed in July in order to pave the way for the resumption of peace talks. On Saturday night, a committee including Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon, Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Science and Technology Minister Yaakov Peri, a former Shin Bet head, will determine which prisoners will be included in the latest release.
Once the list of names is publicised, the families of terror victims who oppose the release will have 48 hours to petition the Supreme Court to intervene, although such an appeal will almost certainly be rejected. Family members joined a protest last night of around 150 people opposing the latest release, outside the Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv, which briefly halted traffic.
Several Israeli media reports say that the prisoner release will be followed shortly afterwards by an Israeli government announcement of construction plans in East Jerusalem and major West Bank settlement blocs in what would appear to be an attempt to placate right-wing critics over the prisoner release. Yediot Ahronot says that the Housing Ministry will announce plans for 1,500 housing units in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Ramat Shlomo and in Efrat, Karnei Shomron, Alfei Menashe and Beitar Illit. These are areas which many assume will remain part of Israel in any future peace deal.
However, according to Yediot Ahronot, Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid and Hatnuah minister Amir Peretz both criticised linking the prisoner release and construction, while right-wing MKs also expressed opposition to the building plans building given the quid pro quo.