US: No Palestinian prisoner release is 'violation of terms' of talks

[bemildred]

WASHINGTON -- Israel's failure to release a final batch of Palestinian prisoners, scheduled for Saturday night, amounts to a violation of the terms of the original agreement reached between Israel and the Palestinians at the start of talks nine months ago, brokered by the United States, US officials have told their Israeli counterparts.

The outline of that original agreement was never published in full. But Israel publicly acknowledged its commitment to four prisoner releases as a condition of peace talks with the Palestinians.

In return, Palestinian leadership agreed not to seek punishment of Israel through the International Criminal Court.

US sources tell The Jerusalem Post they fear the consequences of Israel's failure to release the final group of prisoners, expressly calling the decision a violation of the original deal.

http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/US-to-Israel-No-Palestinian-prisoner-release-is-violation-of-terms-of-talks-346878

[Jefferson23]

1. uh oh. There goes a little more of that push back.

So public too.

Kerry is determined.

On edit, Some trade off, Abbas:

Hammad said that the US Administration should exert pressure on Israel to implement the understandings reached regarding the release of Palestinians imprisoned before the signing of the Oslo Accords." He said that if Israel refuses to release the fourth and final batch of prisoners, then US Secretary of State John Kerry should hold the Israeli government responsible for obstructing his efforts to achieve peace.

[azurnoir]

2. ‘Israel offers to free 400 more prisoners if Abbas extends talks’

Israel has offered to release a new group of 400 Palestinian security prisoners, in addition to the fourth and final group of longtime terrorism convicts who were set to go free this weekend, if the Palestinian Authority agrees to extend peace talks for another six months, The Times of Israel learned from Palestinian sources on Saturday night. The US, anxious to arrange for the continuation of the talks, backed the offer.

As of Saturday evening, however, PA President Mahmoud Abbas was insisting that the fourth group of longtime prisoners first be released before he would consider extending the talks beyond their current April 29 deadline.

Israel has refused to free the final group of some 26 prisoners, whom the PA insists must include several Israeli Arabs, unless Abbas first agrees to extend the talks. Israel has also balked at releasing Israeli Arabs.

Under the new Israeli offer, Israel would determine which additional 400 security prisoners would go free, the sources said. Israel is said to be holding close to 5,000 Palestinian security prisoners.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-offers-to-free-400-more-prisoners-if-abbas-extends-talks/