BICOM

An Israeli ministerial committee yesterday agreed the identities of 26 Palestinian prisoners who will be released from detention in advance of this week’s resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Last month, Israel’s cabinet approved the release of 104 prisoners, mostly convicted over twenty years ago and all of whom were involved in deadly attacks on Israelis, in order to pave the way for peace negotiations to re-start. The 26 to be released this week are the first of four groups to be freed over the coming nine months, dependent on the progress of peace talks. Palestinian Authority (PA) leaders had made the release a condition to attending preliminary talks in Washington earlier this month.

Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office announced yesterday that a ministerial committee had given approval to release the twenty six prisoners. The meeting was chaired by Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon and was attended by Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, Science, Technology and Space Minister Yaakov Peri and representatives of the Prison Service, the Justice Ministry, the IDF and other agencies. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was absent as he was recuperating following an emergency hernia operation.

Late last night, Israel’s Prisons Service published the names of the Palestinian prisoners, who will be released ahead of Wednesday’s peace talks in Jerusalem. The families of the prisoners’ victims were informed prior to publishing the names and the releases will not begin for forty eight hours, in order to give an opportunity for members of the public to appeal. The High Court of Justice is already hearing an appeal by the families of victims of terrorism who oppose the release.

Among those slated for release, fourteen will be transferred to the Gaza Strip and twelve will be sent to the West Bank. Eight were already scheduled for release within the next three years.