RAMALLAH – Israel released 26 Palestinian prisoners on early Tuesday, in the third of four phased releases agreed upon as a precondition to peace talks. The release of the prisoners, jailed since before the Oslo Accords of 1993, came after the Israeli High Court of Justice rejected a petition filed by the families of Israeli “terror victims” to prevent their release. On July, Israel agreed to a four-stage release of 104 prisoners in order to facilitate the resumption of American-brokered peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. In the first stage of the release this past August, 26 Palestinians were freed. In the second stage of the deal this October, 21 prisoners were released. The group released included five residents of occupied Jerusalem, three from Gaza Strip and the remaining 18 were released to the West Bank. The 26 prisoners have been jailed for 19 to 28 years. All of the prisoners on the list, save three, were convicted of murdering Israeli civilians or soldiers, as well as Palestinians suspected of collaborating with Israel. Upon arrival in the Muqata'a Presidential compound in Ramallah, they were greeted by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas who joined cheering crowds, with Prime Minister Rami al-Hamdallah and other senior officials and jubilant relatives lining up to kiss and embrace the newly freed men. The released prisoners then proceeded via red carpet into the Muqata'a where they laid a wreath at the grave of late President Yasser Arafat. “It is a day of joy for our people, our families and our prisoner heroes,” Abbas declared. The Palestinian President said that “there will be no final agreement with Israel until all of the prisoners are released.” “We promise that this is not the last time that prisoners will be released,” he added. According to recent Palestinian statistics, Israel is holding 4,900 Palestinian prisoners in its in 23 prisons and detention camps in Israel and in the West Bank of whom 234 children, 15 females, 15 members of Palestine Legislative Council, 135 in administrative detention without trial and hundreds suffer from medical negligence. Abbas also referred to Sunday's approval by a ministerial committee of a bill that would annex the Jordan Valley and place it under full Israeli sovereignty. “(The Jordan Valley) is our land and will remain so. This is a red line for us,” he declared. The development comes two days before US Secretary of State John Kerry, who brokered the deal that led to those talks, is due to arrive for yet another round of shuttle diplomacy. The US State Department praised the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for releasing the prisoners. “The Israeli government's commitment to release Palestinian prisoners helped enable the start and continuation of the final status negotiations, and we believe this is a positive step forward in the overall process,” said State Department spokesperson Marie Harf. Israeli media quoted US officials as saying that Kerry wants the sides to agree to a framework for an interim accord ahead of a deal in April, which would launch another year of talks aimed at a full-blown peace treaty. A framework would demonstrate that progress is being made in talks that began in July, the officials said. It would touch on all the main issues, including security, the future of Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees. Netanyahu expressed doubts that the issue of security could be resolved. Israel insists that its forces remain in the Jordan Valley and the Palestinians express opposition to any presence of Israeli troops in their territories.
