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Israeli leaders respond to cabinet decision on prisoners and referendum
A mixed response in Israel greeted yesterday’s cabinet decision to release up to 104 Palestinian prisoners, paving the way for the first direct, sustained talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders since 2010 to take place.
During a six-hour cabinet session, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged ministers to vote in favour of the release, saying “there are moments in which tough decisions must be made for the good of the country and this is one of those moments.” In the end, 13 ministers voted in favour, seven opposed and two abstained over releasing Palestinian prisoners convicted of serious terror offences carried out before the signing of the 1993 Oslo Accords. The decision addressed a key Palestinian demand for renewal of peace talks. Those earmarked for release include individuals who carried out multiple killings of Israeli civilians, making it a sensitive and controversial decision in Israel.
In the Israeli media this morning, Amnon Lord in Maariv praises the cabinet decision, saying it shows that “Netanyahu is not marching forward with his eyes shut.” However, Yediot Ahronot typified the public mood with the headline: “Murderers will be released.”
Among those who opposed the decision were three Jewish Home ministers, whose party leader Naftali Bennett described a “slippery slope” which showed the world that “for us everything is negotiable.” Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon, who voted in favour of the release, said he did so with “a heavy heart.” Likud ministers such as Ya’alon and those from Yisrael Beitenu were divided on the issue, while those in favour included ministers from Hatnuah and Yesh Atid, whose leader Yair Lapid said “It is not a happy day, but we need to do what is right for Israel and for the peace process.”
The cabinet also agreed draft legislation that would require any future territorial withdrawal to be endorsed by a referendum. This has been a major demand by Naftali Bennett and his Jewish Home party, providing some political cover for him to remain in government despite its opposition to prisoner releases and negotiations on a two-state solution.