4 sept 2013
The Palestinian Authority government decided on Tuesday to provide "grants" to Palestinian prisoners who were recently released from Israeli prisons.
A statement issued by the government following its weekly meeting in Ramallah said that the "grants" were being presented to the prisoners in honor of their "sacrifices and in order to guarantee them a suitable standard of dignified living."
The government did not say how much each prisoner would receive.
The decision concerns the 26 prisoners who were released by Israel on the eve of the resumption of the peace talks with the PA.
The prisoners were imprisoned before the signing of the Oslo Accords.
The PA regularly provides financial support to Palestinian prisoners and their families, including some who are not affiliated with President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction.
This article was originally published at The Jerusalem Post
A statement issued by the government following its weekly meeting in Ramallah said that the "grants" were being presented to the prisoners in honor of their "sacrifices and in order to guarantee them a suitable standard of dignified living."
The government did not say how much each prisoner would receive.
The decision concerns the 26 prisoners who were released by Israel on the eve of the resumption of the peace talks with the PA.
The prisoners were imprisoned before the signing of the Oslo Accords.
The PA regularly provides financial support to Palestinian prisoners and their families, including some who are not affiliated with President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction.
This article was originally published at The Jerusalem Post
1 sept 2013
Caretaker Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said Sunday that Israel may release more veteran Palestinian prisoners by the end of September.
"It is possible that the second batch of pre-Oslo prisoners will be released before the end of this month," Hamdallah said during a tour of Salfit.
Israel has agreed to release a total of 104 prisoners, most of who were jailed before the 1993 Oslo peace accords, in stages depending on progress in the new peace talks.
The first batch of 26 prisoners was released on Aug. 14.
Hamdallah called on the international community to support Palestinian efforts in negotiations to help them achieve an independent state on 1967 borders.
"It is possible that the second batch of pre-Oslo prisoners will be released before the end of this month," Hamdallah said during a tour of Salfit.
Israel has agreed to release a total of 104 prisoners, most of who were jailed before the 1993 Oslo peace accords, in stages depending on progress in the new peace talks.
The first batch of 26 prisoners was released on Aug. 14.
Hamdallah called on the international community to support Palestinian efforts in negotiations to help them achieve an independent state on 1967 borders.
28 aug 2013
Ahrar Center for Prisoners' Studies and Human Rights reported that 12 Palestinian prisoners from Jerusalem, who were arrested before the signing of the Oslo Accords, are still in Israeli jails.
Ahrar Center confirmed that all peace deals neglected those prisoners and that Israeli authorities refused to release them during the past two decades.
Director of Ahrar Center, Fu'ad al-Khuffash, said that five of these prisoners hold the Blue ID and are considered "Israeli" citizens by Israel, yet it refuses to release them in any of the deals signed between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, including the Shalit prisoners swap deal. Additionally, Israel is practicing a clearly racist policy against the prisoners and does not treat them as Israeli prisoners are treated.
The five prisoners are: Yassen Abu khudeir; sentenced to 28 years imprisonment.
Bilal Abu Hussain; sentenced to 38 years imprisonment.
Mohammed Da'ajneh; sentenced to life-term imprisonment.
Ahmed Khalad; sentenced to 21 years imprisonment.
Nae'l Salb; sentenced to 31 years imprisonment.
"The seven remaining Palestinian prisoners are from East Jerusalem and do not hold an Israeli ID. They are:
Shahadeh Abu Ni'mah,
Ramadan Yacoub,
Mohammed Afaneh,
Mahmoud Issa and the two brothers
Mohammed and
Abdul Jawwad Shamasneh," added al-Kuffash.
Al-Khuffash called on the end of the suffering of those prisoners, noting that five of them are sentenced to life-term imprisonment.
Ahrar Center confirmed that all peace deals neglected those prisoners and that Israeli authorities refused to release them during the past two decades.
Director of Ahrar Center, Fu'ad al-Khuffash, said that five of these prisoners hold the Blue ID and are considered "Israeli" citizens by Israel, yet it refuses to release them in any of the deals signed between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, including the Shalit prisoners swap deal. Additionally, Israel is practicing a clearly racist policy against the prisoners and does not treat them as Israeli prisoners are treated.
The five prisoners are: Yassen Abu khudeir; sentenced to 28 years imprisonment.
Bilal Abu Hussain; sentenced to 38 years imprisonment.
Mohammed Da'ajneh; sentenced to life-term imprisonment.
Ahmed Khalad; sentenced to 21 years imprisonment.
Nae'l Salb; sentenced to 31 years imprisonment.
"The seven remaining Palestinian prisoners are from East Jerusalem and do not hold an Israeli ID. They are:
Shahadeh Abu Ni'mah,
Ramadan Yacoub,
Mohammed Afaneh,
Mahmoud Issa and the two brothers
Mohammed and
Abdul Jawwad Shamasneh," added al-Kuffash.
Al-Khuffash called on the end of the suffering of those prisoners, noting that five of them are sentenced to life-term imprisonment.
15 aug 2013
Israeli authorities have given veteran Palestinian prisoners released Tuesday maps showing the places and streets they can go to within their own cities, says a freed prisoner.
Samir Naneesh from Nablus in the northern West Bank had been detained in May 1989 and was sentenced to life imprisonment after he was convicted of killing an Israeli soldier by throwing a stone at him.
He told Ma’an Thursday that the Israelis warned him and all freed prisoners that they would be detained again if they do not adhere with certain instructions the Israelis gave them.
According to Naneesh, freed prisoners shouldn’t leave their cities or participate in any demonstrations or activities against Israel’s security. Violators will be taken back to prison, he added.
The Fatah-affiliated veteran prisoner highlighted during a reception organized by the movement in Nablus that his release was a dream he awaited impatiently.
Naneesh’s parents died while he was in custody.
“I was surprised most when I saw how my nephews and nieces have matured. Dozens of boys and girls have become men and women, and I thought they were still children.”
He added: “I have my own plans for the future. First, I would like to get married and build a family like other citizens, then I will think of next stage.”
Samir Naneesh from Nablus in the northern West Bank had been detained in May 1989 and was sentenced to life imprisonment after he was convicted of killing an Israeli soldier by throwing a stone at him.
He told Ma’an Thursday that the Israelis warned him and all freed prisoners that they would be detained again if they do not adhere with certain instructions the Israelis gave them.
According to Naneesh, freed prisoners shouldn’t leave their cities or participate in any demonstrations or activities against Israel’s security. Violators will be taken back to prison, he added.
The Fatah-affiliated veteran prisoner highlighted during a reception organized by the movement in Nablus that his release was a dream he awaited impatiently.
Naneesh’s parents died while he was in custody.
“I was surprised most when I saw how my nephews and nieces have matured. Dozens of boys and girls have become men and women, and I thought they were still children.”
He added: “I have my own plans for the future. First, I would like to get married and build a family like other citizens, then I will think of next stage.”
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Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, stated late on Wednesday at night, that the Palestinian Authority will act on ensuring the release of all Palestinian political prisoners held by Israel”.
His statements came in the central West Bank city of Ramallah, as he welcomed the 11 West Bank detainees who were released by Israel in the first sage of releasing detainees who have been imprisoned since before the first Oslo Peace Agreement of 1994. “We celebrate your release, we congratulate ourselves, and our people”, Abbas stated while welcoming the freed political prisoners, “The rest of the detainees will be released, more brothers will be coming back home to you”. “Please allow me to salute you, our people, the families of the detainees, and all detainees”, the President said, “We will not rest until all of our sons are back among us, God willing, welcome back home, we will meeting in Jerusalem”. Fifteen more detainees have been release and have been sent back home in the Gaza Strip where they were welcomed by thousands of Palestinians, political and social figures. |
14 aug 2013
The Israeli Occupation Authorities (IOA) released Tuesday morning, the member of Qassam brigades Jamil Abdel Wahab Natsheh, 48, after he spent 21 years in Israeli jails. Israeli authorities arrested Natsheh in 1992 where he was sentenced to 21 years. Although he has ended his sentence, he was listed in the Palestinian prisoner list released on Wednesday as the first batch of the release deal as a condition for agreeing to resume talks.
The occupation authorities accused Natsheh of being behind several operations carried out al-Khalil between 1990 and 1992, in addition to being a member of Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas movement.
Bennett calls for killing Palestinians instead of detaining them
Tadamun foundation for human rights said that the Israeli minister of economy Naftali Bennett indirectly called on Tuesday for killing the Palestinians rather than arresting and later releasing them. The foundation stated that Bennett, a noted right-wing Zionist figure, described on his facebook page the Palestinian prisoners to be released soon by the Israel side as murderers who should be killed.
According to the foundation, Bennett also called for stopping to name the Palestinian prisoners as detainees because as he claimed they were arrested for killing Israelis and not because of traffic violations.
He also said that the detention of the Palestinians are no longer a deterrent to them, so he pledged to work on having the Israeli army to reconsider its methods when dealing with what he described as the criminals.
Tadamun foundation considered such remarks by Bennett as indirect incitement to killing the Palestinians instead of detaining them, pointing that Bennett strongly opposes the idea of releasing Palestinian prisoners as a goodwill gesture to resume the peace process.
The occupation authorities accused Natsheh of being behind several operations carried out al-Khalil between 1990 and 1992, in addition to being a member of Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas movement.
Bennett calls for killing Palestinians instead of detaining them
Tadamun foundation for human rights said that the Israeli minister of economy Naftali Bennett indirectly called on Tuesday for killing the Palestinians rather than arresting and later releasing them. The foundation stated that Bennett, a noted right-wing Zionist figure, described on his facebook page the Palestinian prisoners to be released soon by the Israel side as murderers who should be killed.
According to the foundation, Bennett also called for stopping to name the Palestinian prisoners as detainees because as he claimed they were arrested for killing Israelis and not because of traffic violations.
He also said that the detention of the Palestinians are no longer a deterrent to them, so he pledged to work on having the Israeli army to reconsider its methods when dealing with what he described as the criminals.
Tadamun foundation considered such remarks by Bennett as indirect incitement to killing the Palestinians instead of detaining them, pointing that Bennett strongly opposes the idea of releasing Palestinian prisoners as a goodwill gesture to resume the peace process.
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The release of 26 Palestinian political prisoners, held by Israel, has been concluded as 11 West Bank detainees reached the Palestinian Presidential headquarters in Ramallah, and 11 Gaza Strip detainees made it to the coastal region, through the Erez (Beit Hanoun) crossing.
Dozens of thousands of Palestinians gathered in the central West Bank city of Ramallah, and in Gaza city, and welcomed the freed detainees in massive celebrations. The released detainees were transported, to Ramallah, in four official Palestinian Authority vehicles, after tinted Israeli buses moved them to a roadblock near the city. West Bank detainees were welcomed by President Mahmoud Abbas, and thousands of Palestinians, before heading to the grave of late President, Yasser Arafat, where they placed flowers on his grave, and prayed for his soul. Abbas told the detainees, and the mass crowds, that the Palestinian leadership would not rest before every Palestinian detainee enjoys freedom. Thousands of Palestinians also gathered at the Beit Hanoun (Erez) Terminal, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, and welcomed the 15 released Gaza Strip detainees. Hundreds of social and local figures, leaders of Islamic and national factions, and thousands of residents celebrated the release. 25 of the released detainees have been imprisoned by Israel since before the first Oslo Peace Agreement of 1993, while one of them has been imprisoned since 2001. They are members and supporters of different factions, including Hamas and Fateh. Approximately 78 more detainees will be released by Israel within 9 months as long as the recently renewed peace talks do not stop. Former political prisoner, head of the Ahrar Center for Detainees Studies and Human Rights, stated that 14 of the detainees are from historic Palestine, 9 from Jerusalem, 48 from the West Bank, and 8 from the Gaza Strip. Sixty-four of the detainees have been serving life terms, and 15 of them have been serving terms that range between 20 and 40 years. Last month, Israel kidnapped more than 89 Palestinians in different parts of the occupied Palestinian territories. Back in June, the Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association (Ad-Dameer) issued a report revealing that Israel is holding captive 5058 Palestinians, including 222 children, 15 women, and 13 legislators. The number also includes 147 detainees (including eight legislators) held under arbitrary Administrative Detention orders without charges. |
186 detainees are from Jerusalem, 209 from historic Palestine, and 422 from Gaza.
530 detainees have been sentenced to life terms, 458 sentenced to more than 20 years, 25 spent at least 25 years in prison, 77 spent more than 20 years, and 105 have been imprisoned since before the Oslo Peace Agreement of 1993.
530 detainees have been sentenced to life terms, 458 sentenced to more than 20 years, 25 spent at least 25 years in prison, 77 spent more than 20 years, and 105 have been imprisoned since before the Oslo Peace Agreement of 1993.
Israeli sources have reported that Israel started the release of 26 Palestinian political prisoners as part of the efforts to resume direct peace talks with the Palestinians. The release started after the Israeli High Court rejected appeals filed against the release.
Israeli daily, Haaretz, have reported that the detainees were removed from their cells at the Ayalon Israel prison, where they were moved to, in order to transfer them to the border with Gaza, and to the West Bank.
The freed detainees have been kidnapped by the army between the years 1985 and 2001, Haaretz said, and added that they will all be allowed back home.
The Maan News Agency reported that the detainees, placed in two buses with tinted windows, were moved to the Ofer Israeli prison, west of the central West Bank city of Ramallah, and to the Erez terminal with the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, Haaretz quoted an Israeli official stating that the detainees were placed in sealed and tinted buses so that they would not be able to stretch their hands out of the buses to wave victory signs.
In addition, several Israelis, including relatives of those hurt in Palestinian attacks, attacked the buses as they left the Ayalon prison, and were removed by Israeli soldiers and police officers.
According to Maan News, the Israeli protesters also demanded Israel to release Israelis who killed Palestinians, including an Israeli who, on May 20 1990, killed seven Palestinian workers, and injured at least ten others in Reshon Letzion (Oyoun Qarra).
On his part, Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, asked the Palestinian leadership to gather at his headquarters in Ramallah to welcome the released detainees.
Israeli daily, Haaretz, have reported that the detainees were removed from their cells at the Ayalon Israel prison, where they were moved to, in order to transfer them to the border with Gaza, and to the West Bank.
The freed detainees have been kidnapped by the army between the years 1985 and 2001, Haaretz said, and added that they will all be allowed back home.
The Maan News Agency reported that the detainees, placed in two buses with tinted windows, were moved to the Ofer Israeli prison, west of the central West Bank city of Ramallah, and to the Erez terminal with the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, Haaretz quoted an Israeli official stating that the detainees were placed in sealed and tinted buses so that they would not be able to stretch their hands out of the buses to wave victory signs.
In addition, several Israelis, including relatives of those hurt in Palestinian attacks, attacked the buses as they left the Ayalon prison, and were removed by Israeli soldiers and police officers.
According to Maan News, the Israeli protesters also demanded Israel to release Israelis who killed Palestinians, including an Israeli who, on May 20 1990, killed seven Palestinian workers, and injured at least ten others in Reshon Letzion (Oyoun Qarra).
On his part, Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, asked the Palestinian leadership to gather at his headquarters in Ramallah to welcome the released detainees.
13 aug 2013
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Eleven Palestinian prisoners have entered the West Bank via the Beitunia checkpoint after being released from the Ofer Prison. Fifteen other prisoners are at the Erez checkpoint, waiting to be released to Gaza.
15 Palestinian prisoners cross into Gaza Fifteen Palestinian prisoners have crossed into the Gaza Strip from the Erez checkpoint. Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is greeting the 11 prisoners in Ramallah. Abbas to prisoners: You left darkness of prison to light of liberty Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas joined by the 11 freed prisoners addressed a crowd of 1,000 people at the Mukataa in Ramallah. |
"We welcome our brothers who have left the darkness of prison into the light of freedom and tell them they are the first, but that there are other brothers who too will leave soon. We shall not rest until they are all with us." The prisoners first visited the grave of Yasser Arafat.
UFree Network to defend the rights of Palestinian political prisoners and detainees welcomed the release of a number of Palestinian prisoners. The network considered the step as late, long overdue that is used to cover up its the Israeli ugly image perceived worldwide through showing “real” intention of peace seeking.
In a press statement dispatched Tuesday evening, August 13, 2013, UFree stated that it is watchfully waiting to see the outcome of the Palestinian prisoners’ release deal between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel. It asserted that the deal is not enough and that all Palestinian political prisoners and detainees should be released unconditionally.
The network confirmed that it welcomes any steps which may help Palestinian political prisoners and detainees obtain their stolen freedom. It would like also to celebrate the joy of their families, who are longing to see their beloved ones.
In the same time, UFee Network announced its rejection of using the basic human rights of prisoners as a negotiation tool in order to blackmail Palestinian political prisoners and their rights.
“The standards of releasing prisoners should have been different. Some of those will be released in the first dispatch of prisoners are due to end their imprisonment sentences. Meanwhile, four prisoners spent more than three quarters of their sentence in the jail and at least one prisoner spent 12 years in the jail. This standard is approved unilaterally by Israel” said the statement.
Additionally, the Palestinian absent role in preparing and naming the lists of prisoners intended to be released makes Israel the dominant power to decide the names of prisoners intended to be released. The current release of prisoners is not based on any human right standard; this is obvious as Israel refuses to release prisoners from occupied territories of 1948 and Jerusalem.
For his part, chairman of UFree Network, Mohammad Hamdan welcomed the step of releasing any Palestinian political prisoners and detainees.
“We are happy to see some prisoners are released today, yet the step comes too late as it should have happened 20 years ago. All prisoners should be released as they have the basic right to be free and not charged. We don’t accept the Israeli attempts to use them as a negotiation tool. International community should bear its responsibility by pressuring Israel to free all prisoners as it will help achieving peace” added Hamdan
In a press statement dispatched Tuesday evening, August 13, 2013, UFree stated that it is watchfully waiting to see the outcome of the Palestinian prisoners’ release deal between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel. It asserted that the deal is not enough and that all Palestinian political prisoners and detainees should be released unconditionally.
The network confirmed that it welcomes any steps which may help Palestinian political prisoners and detainees obtain their stolen freedom. It would like also to celebrate the joy of their families, who are longing to see their beloved ones.
In the same time, UFee Network announced its rejection of using the basic human rights of prisoners as a negotiation tool in order to blackmail Palestinian political prisoners and their rights.
“The standards of releasing prisoners should have been different. Some of those will be released in the first dispatch of prisoners are due to end their imprisonment sentences. Meanwhile, four prisoners spent more than three quarters of their sentence in the jail and at least one prisoner spent 12 years in the jail. This standard is approved unilaterally by Israel” said the statement.
Additionally, the Palestinian absent role in preparing and naming the lists of prisoners intended to be released makes Israel the dominant power to decide the names of prisoners intended to be released. The current release of prisoners is not based on any human right standard; this is obvious as Israel refuses to release prisoners from occupied territories of 1948 and Jerusalem.
For his part, chairman of UFree Network, Mohammad Hamdan welcomed the step of releasing any Palestinian political prisoners and detainees.
“We are happy to see some prisoners are released today, yet the step comes too late as it should have happened 20 years ago. All prisoners should be released as they have the basic right to be free and not charged. We don’t accept the Israeli attempts to use them as a negotiation tool. International community should bear its responsibility by pressuring Israel to free all prisoners as it will help achieving peace” added Hamdan
The release of Palestinian prisoners is part of an agreement to renew talks after a five-year freeze
Israel began the process of releasing 26 Palestinian prisoners late on Tuesday – an initial gesture on the eve of renewed Middle East peace talks.
Thousands of Palestinians have spent time in Israeli prisons since Israel's capture of the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in 1967. They were jailed on charges ranging from throwing rocks to killing civilians in bombings and other attacks.
The decision to release the men has stirred anguish in Israel, particularly among the relatives of those killed in attacks. Meanwhile celebrations were planned in the Palestinian territory, where Palestinians generally view the prisoners as heroes, regardless of their acts, arguing they made personal sacrifices in the struggle for independence.
The Israeli prison service said buses carrying the inmates left the Ayalon jail in central Israel late on Tuesday. Israel has decided to release them late at night to prevent a spectacle. Some protesters tried – in a symbolic move – to block the buses from leaving the jail.
Most of the prisoners were convicted of killings, including Israeli civilians and suspected Palestinian collaborators, while others were involved in attempted murder or kidnapping.
The release of the prisoners was part of an agreement brokered by US secretary of state John Kerry to get Israel and the Palestinians back to the table for peace talks that had been paralysed since 2008. In all, 104 convicts are to be released in four batches, although their freedom is contingent on progress in peace talks.
Israelis and Palestinians are to launch talks in Jerusalem on Wednesday, after a preparatory round two weeks ago in Washington. The prisoner release is part of an agreement to restart the talks after a five-year freeze.
Israel's prison service posted the 26 names online on Monday to allow two days for possible court appeals. On Tuesday Israel's Supreme Court rejected an appeal by families of those killed by the prisoners.
Most of the prisoners have already served around 20 years, with the longest held arrested in 1985. Fourteen of the prisoners were to be released to the Gaza Strip and 12 to the West Bank.
Most Israelis view those involved in killings as terrorists for killing civilians. Relatives of those killed by the inmates protested the night before against their release. Protesters dipped their hands in red paint to symbolise what they said was the blood on the hands of the prisoners.
Earlier, Israel said it is moving forward with building nearly 900 new homes in east Jerusalem, a decision that angered Palestinians a day before the talks.
The last round of substantive talks collapsed in late 2008, and negotiations have remained stalled mainly over the issue of Israeli settlement construction on territories claimed by the Palestinians for their future state. The Palestinians say the settlements, now home to more than 500,000 Israelis, are making it increasingly difficult to carve out their state and that continued Israeli construction is a sign of bad faith.
Hanan Ashrawi, a senior Palestinian official, said Israel's settlement plans are a slap in the face of the Palestinians and Kerry. "It is not just deliberate sabotage of the talks, but really a destruction of the outcome," she said.
Ashrawi urged Kerry "to stand up to Israel" and deliver a tough response.
Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, rejected the Palestinian claim.
He said: "The Palestinians know that Israel rejected their demands of a settlement freeze as a precondition to these talks – they cannot say otherwise.
"The construction that the Israeli government authorised is all in Jerusalem and the large blocs, in areas that will remain part of Israel in any possible final status agreement and this construction that has been authorised in no way changes the final map of peace," Regev added.
The US had no immediate comment. On Monday, Kerry repeated the position that the settlements are "illegitimate", while saying he didn't think the recent flap over Israeli settlements would delay talks. "I'm sure we will work out a path forward," Kerry said.
The latest construction is to take place in Gilo, an area in east Jerusalem that Israel considers to be a neighbourhood of its capital. Israel's annexation of east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians claim as their capital, is not internationally recognised.
The housing plan, which received initial approval last year, would expand Gilo's boundaries further toward a Palestinian neighbourhood. The plans for 900 housing units in Gilo come in addition to an earlier announcement this week of some 1,200 other settlement homes in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
Efrat Orbach, an Interior Ministry spokeswoman, confirmed that approval had been given for the Gilo expansion. She said more approvals are needed before construction begins. But Lior Amihai of anti-settlement group Peace Now, said the plan needs no further approval and construction could begin within weeks.
The Palestinians had refused to resume negotiations with Israel unless it halted settlement construction. Israel has refused.
After six trips to the region, Kerry managed to persuade Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas to drop the settlement issue as a condition for negotiations to start. In exchange, Israel agreed to release 104 Palestinian prisoners.
J'lem: Interruptions in Light Rail in protest of prisoner release
A metal chain briefly blocked Light Rail traffic in Jerusalem in protest of the release of the Palestinian prisoners. Police arrived at the scene and took down the chain and sign, and the Light Rail resumed its activity. Jerusalem Police launched an investigation.
Israel began the process of releasing 26 Palestinian prisoners late on Tuesday – an initial gesture on the eve of renewed Middle East peace talks.
Thousands of Palestinians have spent time in Israeli prisons since Israel's capture of the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in 1967. They were jailed on charges ranging from throwing rocks to killing civilians in bombings and other attacks.
The decision to release the men has stirred anguish in Israel, particularly among the relatives of those killed in attacks. Meanwhile celebrations were planned in the Palestinian territory, where Palestinians generally view the prisoners as heroes, regardless of their acts, arguing they made personal sacrifices in the struggle for independence.
The Israeli prison service said buses carrying the inmates left the Ayalon jail in central Israel late on Tuesday. Israel has decided to release them late at night to prevent a spectacle. Some protesters tried – in a symbolic move – to block the buses from leaving the jail.
Most of the prisoners were convicted of killings, including Israeli civilians and suspected Palestinian collaborators, while others were involved in attempted murder or kidnapping.
The release of the prisoners was part of an agreement brokered by US secretary of state John Kerry to get Israel and the Palestinians back to the table for peace talks that had been paralysed since 2008. In all, 104 convicts are to be released in four batches, although their freedom is contingent on progress in peace talks.
Israelis and Palestinians are to launch talks in Jerusalem on Wednesday, after a preparatory round two weeks ago in Washington. The prisoner release is part of an agreement to restart the talks after a five-year freeze.
Israel's prison service posted the 26 names online on Monday to allow two days for possible court appeals. On Tuesday Israel's Supreme Court rejected an appeal by families of those killed by the prisoners.
Most of the prisoners have already served around 20 years, with the longest held arrested in 1985. Fourteen of the prisoners were to be released to the Gaza Strip and 12 to the West Bank.
Most Israelis view those involved in killings as terrorists for killing civilians. Relatives of those killed by the inmates protested the night before against their release. Protesters dipped their hands in red paint to symbolise what they said was the blood on the hands of the prisoners.
Earlier, Israel said it is moving forward with building nearly 900 new homes in east Jerusalem, a decision that angered Palestinians a day before the talks.
The last round of substantive talks collapsed in late 2008, and negotiations have remained stalled mainly over the issue of Israeli settlement construction on territories claimed by the Palestinians for their future state. The Palestinians say the settlements, now home to more than 500,000 Israelis, are making it increasingly difficult to carve out their state and that continued Israeli construction is a sign of bad faith.
Hanan Ashrawi, a senior Palestinian official, said Israel's settlement plans are a slap in the face of the Palestinians and Kerry. "It is not just deliberate sabotage of the talks, but really a destruction of the outcome," she said.
Ashrawi urged Kerry "to stand up to Israel" and deliver a tough response.
Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, rejected the Palestinian claim.
He said: "The Palestinians know that Israel rejected their demands of a settlement freeze as a precondition to these talks – they cannot say otherwise.
"The construction that the Israeli government authorised is all in Jerusalem and the large blocs, in areas that will remain part of Israel in any possible final status agreement and this construction that has been authorised in no way changes the final map of peace," Regev added.
The US had no immediate comment. On Monday, Kerry repeated the position that the settlements are "illegitimate", while saying he didn't think the recent flap over Israeli settlements would delay talks. "I'm sure we will work out a path forward," Kerry said.
The latest construction is to take place in Gilo, an area in east Jerusalem that Israel considers to be a neighbourhood of its capital. Israel's annexation of east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians claim as their capital, is not internationally recognised.
The housing plan, which received initial approval last year, would expand Gilo's boundaries further toward a Palestinian neighbourhood. The plans for 900 housing units in Gilo come in addition to an earlier announcement this week of some 1,200 other settlement homes in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
Efrat Orbach, an Interior Ministry spokeswoman, confirmed that approval had been given for the Gilo expansion. She said more approvals are needed before construction begins. But Lior Amihai of anti-settlement group Peace Now, said the plan needs no further approval and construction could begin within weeks.
The Palestinians had refused to resume negotiations with Israel unless it halted settlement construction. Israel has refused.
After six trips to the region, Kerry managed to persuade Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas to drop the settlement issue as a condition for negotiations to start. In exchange, Israel agreed to release 104 Palestinian prisoners.
J'lem: Interruptions in Light Rail in protest of prisoner release
A metal chain briefly blocked Light Rail traffic in Jerusalem in protest of the release of the Palestinian prisoners. Police arrived at the scene and took down the chain and sign, and the Light Rail resumed its activity. Jerusalem Police launched an investigation.
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Israel has begun releasing 26 Palestinian prisoners, most held for deadly attacks, ahead of renewed Mideast negotiations.
The Israeli prison service said buses carrying the inmates left a jail in central Israel late Tuesday. First round of Palestinian prisoners released by Israel At 9:00 pm sealed Israeli vans with tinted windows began driving the first round of Palestinian prisoners to the West Bank and Gaza as part of a "goodwill gesture" before peace negotiations. The late night transfer and dark cars are being used to control prisoners from gesturing a "V for victory" hand signal to press, according to Israeli officials. The first 26 of 104 prisoners were taken to Ayalon Prison in Ramle (near Tel Aviv) earlier this week on Monday. Fourteen are now en route to Gaza via the Erez Crossing and 12 are on their way to Ofer Prison where they will be transferred to Ramallah. Currently there are over 5,000 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons and 136 in administrative detention, indefinate arrest without charge. Shortly after midnight the Palestinian Authority (PA) will host a welcoming ceremony for the released prisoners and their families at the Muqata. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to give a special address. This early termination of sentences is first of four releases staggered over the next few months. All of detainees that will be let out early are "pre-Oslo prisoners", incarcerated between 1985 and 2001. Many received prison terms that well |
exceeded their natural lives. However, some have already served nearly 25 years and their sentences are almost at term. The Israeli Prime Minister's office solely determined which prisoners would be released and when.
The prisoners' rights group Addameer said these types of prisoner releases are common when negotiations re-start, however, often Israel reneges or waves of Palestinian arrests follows the public motion:
[A]lthough Israel promises to release prisoners in every return to negotiations since Oslo I in 1993, they often renege partially or completely on the agreements, in direct violation of Vienna Convention of the Law of Treaties (1969), which affirms that agreements between two party states are binding. Indeed, over 23,000 Palestinians have been released since 1993 as “goodwill measures” during various negotiations and peace talks. However, in that same period, at least 86,000
Palestinians have been arrested, including children, women, disabled persons and university students.
In advance of the prisoner release Israeli officials published a list of the potential prisoners to be let out of detention early, which included convictions and sentences. Some families of deceased Israelis killed by the Palestinian prisoners slated for release petitioned Israel's High Court last week to cancel the move. And the YESHA Council, a settler organization, called Prime Minister Netanyahu to pressure him into canceling the agreement. Yet earlier today the High Court rejected the appeal.
While most Israeli media has labeled the Palestinian prisoners as terrorists and all but renounced the move towards peace talks, Haaretz noted this evening, not all of the families of Israelis killed by Palestinians are opposing the release:
Yet Ada Kuenstler, whose 84-year-old father, Avraham Kuenstler, was killed in 1992 by a prisoner due to be released, said she understood Israel's political considerations in freeing Abdallah Salah from his 99-year sentence.
'I want peace and do not ask for revenge, and I am not objecting to this move because I want to hope that this will bring peace a little closer,' she told Reuters.
Direct peace talks will resume this week in Jerusalem, followed by a meeting in Jericho. Israel and the PA have committed to nine-months of discussions, facilitated by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
The prisoners' rights group Addameer said these types of prisoner releases are common when negotiations re-start, however, often Israel reneges or waves of Palestinian arrests follows the public motion:
[A]lthough Israel promises to release prisoners in every return to negotiations since Oslo I in 1993, they often renege partially or completely on the agreements, in direct violation of Vienna Convention of the Law of Treaties (1969), which affirms that agreements between two party states are binding. Indeed, over 23,000 Palestinians have been released since 1993 as “goodwill measures” during various negotiations and peace talks. However, in that same period, at least 86,000
Palestinians have been arrested, including children, women, disabled persons and university students.
In advance of the prisoner release Israeli officials published a list of the potential prisoners to be let out of detention early, which included convictions and sentences. Some families of deceased Israelis killed by the Palestinian prisoners slated for release petitioned Israel's High Court last week to cancel the move. And the YESHA Council, a settler organization, called Prime Minister Netanyahu to pressure him into canceling the agreement. Yet earlier today the High Court rejected the appeal.
While most Israeli media has labeled the Palestinian prisoners as terrorists and all but renounced the move towards peace talks, Haaretz noted this evening, not all of the families of Israelis killed by Palestinians are opposing the release:
Yet Ada Kuenstler, whose 84-year-old father, Avraham Kuenstler, was killed in 1992 by a prisoner due to be released, said she understood Israel's political considerations in freeing Abdallah Salah from his 99-year sentence.
'I want peace and do not ask for revenge, and I am not objecting to this move because I want to hope that this will bring peace a little closer,' she told Reuters.
Direct peace talks will resume this week in Jerusalem, followed by a meeting in Jericho. Israel and the PA have committed to nine-months of discussions, facilitated by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
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Ramallah: 1,000 Palestinians await prisoners at Mukataa
Some 1,000 Palestinians have arrived at the Mukataa compound in Ramallah ahead of the arrival of the 11 prisoners released to the West Bank. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is set to attend a welcome ceremony. Hundreds await 11 Palestinian prisoners at Beitunia checkpoint Hundreds of people are waiting at the Beitunia checkpoint for the 11 Palestinian prisoners released to the West Bank. |
Twenty-six prisoners leave Ayalon Prison, make their way to Gaza, West Bank in vans with tinted windows to avoid image of victory. Hamas government forbids celebrations in Gaza
After weeks of cabinet discussions, protests and High Court petitions, 26 Palestinian prisoners are being released Tuesday night as part of an Israeli gesture to the Palestinian Authority in the wake of resuming peace talks.
Two convoys left the Ayalon Prison Tuesday night on their way to the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The first convoy, carrying 15 prisoners, has reached the Erez checkpoint. The second, carrying 11 prisoners, has reached the Ofer Prison and from there will travel to the Beitunia checkpoint
The prisoners are being transported in vans with tinted windows to avoid the semblance of a victorious release.
Activists protesting the release tried to block the convoy's way were but soon removed from the area. Meanwhile, a Color Red siren sounded in Sderot and the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council. No hit has yet been detected.
Fourteen of the prisoners will be sent to Gaza via the Erez checkpoint, and 12 will be taken to the Ofer Prison and from there to the PA via the Beitunia checkpoint.
Tuesday's release is the first of four phases which will see some 100 prisoners freed as negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians progress. The identity of the 26 men was decided by a ministerial committee chaired by Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon that conferred with heads of the defense establishment.
The decision prompted protest by the families of the terrorists' victims who filed a petition with the High Court of Justice that was ultimately denied.
In an official statement Tuesday, Supreme Court President Asher Grunis wrote: "There is no dispute that the issue at hand is difficult and sensitive. Our hearts go out to the families of the terror victims."
Prior to their release, the prisoners will undergo a medical examination and will be interviewed by prison staff. It is unclear whether the 26 men were asked to sign a paper to pledge they will not engage in terrorist activity, as in past cases. An Israel Prison Service official said that the guards are prepared for the procedure.
After weeks of cabinet discussions, protests and High Court petitions, 26 Palestinian prisoners are being released Tuesday night as part of an Israeli gesture to the Palestinian Authority in the wake of resuming peace talks.
Two convoys left the Ayalon Prison Tuesday night on their way to the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The first convoy, carrying 15 prisoners, has reached the Erez checkpoint. The second, carrying 11 prisoners, has reached the Ofer Prison and from there will travel to the Beitunia checkpoint
The prisoners are being transported in vans with tinted windows to avoid the semblance of a victorious release.
Activists protesting the release tried to block the convoy's way were but soon removed from the area. Meanwhile, a Color Red siren sounded in Sderot and the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council. No hit has yet been detected.
Fourteen of the prisoners will be sent to Gaza via the Erez checkpoint, and 12 will be taken to the Ofer Prison and from there to the PA via the Beitunia checkpoint.
Tuesday's release is the first of four phases which will see some 100 prisoners freed as negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians progress. The identity of the 26 men was decided by a ministerial committee chaired by Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon that conferred with heads of the defense establishment.
The decision prompted protest by the families of the terrorists' victims who filed a petition with the High Court of Justice that was ultimately denied.
In an official statement Tuesday, Supreme Court President Asher Grunis wrote: "There is no dispute that the issue at hand is difficult and sensitive. Our hearts go out to the families of the terror victims."
Prior to their release, the prisoners will undergo a medical examination and will be interviewed by prison staff. It is unclear whether the 26 men were asked to sign a paper to pledge they will not engage in terrorist activity, as in past cases. An Israel Prison Service official said that the guards are prepared for the procedure.
Poster of prisoner in Hebron
Police cars and motorcycles will escort the prisoners' convoy on its way to the checkpoints.
The Hamas government issued a ban against celebrations by the Fatah movement. The government said that a special welcoming ceremony will be held later in the week.
Hamas had ordered the removal of a welcome tent set up by Fatah in Khan Younis and warned printing presses not to print posters connected to the prisoners release.
Police cars and motorcycles will escort the prisoners' convoy on its way to the checkpoints.
The Hamas government issued a ban against celebrations by the Fatah movement. The government said that a special welcoming ceremony will be held later in the week.
Hamas had ordered the removal of a welcome tent set up by Fatah in Khan Younis and warned printing presses not to print posters connected to the prisoners release.
The Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA), run by the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, has reported that the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip issued orders preventing any celebrations for the release of Palestinian detainees, who will be freed from Israeli prisons later on Tuesday at night.
The release comes as part of the efforts to boost the direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank.
WAFA said that the Internal Security Forces, run by Hamas in Gaza, want to prevent any celebrations when welcoming freed detainees in Gaza, and ordered the removal of a celebration tent installed by the Fateh movement in front of the City Council in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
It added that Hamas ordered owners of print shops not to print any posters or signs related to the release of the detainees, and prevented any graffiti on the walls.
The Hamas movement did not comment on the issue, and did not confirm or deny the report.
On Tuesday, Fuad Al-Khoffash, head of the Ahrar Center for Detainees Studies and Human Rights, demanded the Palestinian Authority (P.A) in the West Bank, to insist on the release of all detainees imprisoned by Israel, instead of abiding by a conditional time frame for the release of only 104 detainees within 9 months, including 26 on Tuesday at night.
The former political prisoner said that the issue of the detainees is being marginalized and partitioned, adding that the file of old detainees (imprisoned before 1993) is only part of the entire cause of thousands of detainees illegally held and imprisoned by the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
The release comes as part of the efforts to boost the direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank.
WAFA said that the Internal Security Forces, run by Hamas in Gaza, want to prevent any celebrations when welcoming freed detainees in Gaza, and ordered the removal of a celebration tent installed by the Fateh movement in front of the City Council in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
It added that Hamas ordered owners of print shops not to print any posters or signs related to the release of the detainees, and prevented any graffiti on the walls.
The Hamas movement did not comment on the issue, and did not confirm or deny the report.
On Tuesday, Fuad Al-Khoffash, head of the Ahrar Center for Detainees Studies and Human Rights, demanded the Palestinian Authority (P.A) in the West Bank, to insist on the release of all detainees imprisoned by Israel, instead of abiding by a conditional time frame for the release of only 104 detainees within 9 months, including 26 on Tuesday at night.
The former political prisoner said that the issue of the detainees is being marginalized and partitioned, adding that the file of old detainees (imprisoned before 1993) is only part of the entire cause of thousands of detainees illegally held and imprisoned by the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
Fuad Al-Khoffash, head of the Ahrar Center for Detainees Studies and Human Rights, demanded the Palestinian Authority (P.A) in the West Bank, to insist on the release of all detainees imprisoned by Israel, instead of abiding by a conditional time frame for the release of only 104 detainees within 9 months, including 26 on Tuesday at night.
Al-Khoffash said that the P.A should not accept to have the detainees’ release dependent on the progress of political talks with Tel Aviv, adding that this issue made “the legitimate cause of the detainees subject to Israeli maneuvers and blackmail.”
He further stated that, once again, the issue of the detainees is being marginalized and partitioned, adding that the file of old detainees (imprisoned before 1993) is only part of the entire cause of thousands of detainees illegally held and imprisoned by the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
“The P.A. should have demanded, and insisted, on the release of every detainee without exceptions”, Al-Khoffash said, “This is a better technique, raise the demands to achieve better results, when the detainees conduct hunger strikes, they ask for what is impossible to achieve what is possible”.
Al-Khoffash, also a legal researcher and former political prisoner, said that the intended release of 26 detainees in the first stage, drops the number of old detainees to 79, including 14 from historic Palestine, 9 from Jerusalem, 48 from the West Bank, and 8 from the Gaza Strip.
Sixty-four of the detainees have been serving life terms, and 15 of them have been serving terms that range between 20 and 40 years.
In related news, the Israeli Supreme Court dismissed petitions, filed by Israeli families of persons allegedly killed by some of the detainees, against the release of the 26 detainees. The decision marks the final stage before their release.
Israeli Ynet News has reported that the head of the Supreme Court, Asher Grunis, said in a statement that the he has no doubt the issue “is difficult and sensitive, our hearts go to the families of the victims”.
Grunis added in his statement that “the release of detainees is part of political negotiations that fall under the jurisdiction of the Israeli government.”
The Supreme Court’s decision paves the way for the release of the detainees as planned late on Tuesday at night.
The Israeli Prison Authority has already transported the 26 detainees to the Ayalon Prison in preparation for their release.
Al-Khoffash said that the P.A should not accept to have the detainees’ release dependent on the progress of political talks with Tel Aviv, adding that this issue made “the legitimate cause of the detainees subject to Israeli maneuvers and blackmail.”
He further stated that, once again, the issue of the detainees is being marginalized and partitioned, adding that the file of old detainees (imprisoned before 1993) is only part of the entire cause of thousands of detainees illegally held and imprisoned by the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
“The P.A. should have demanded, and insisted, on the release of every detainee without exceptions”, Al-Khoffash said, “This is a better technique, raise the demands to achieve better results, when the detainees conduct hunger strikes, they ask for what is impossible to achieve what is possible”.
Al-Khoffash, also a legal researcher and former political prisoner, said that the intended release of 26 detainees in the first stage, drops the number of old detainees to 79, including 14 from historic Palestine, 9 from Jerusalem, 48 from the West Bank, and 8 from the Gaza Strip.
Sixty-four of the detainees have been serving life terms, and 15 of them have been serving terms that range between 20 and 40 years.
In related news, the Israeli Supreme Court dismissed petitions, filed by Israeli families of persons allegedly killed by some of the detainees, against the release of the 26 detainees. The decision marks the final stage before their release.
Israeli Ynet News has reported that the head of the Supreme Court, Asher Grunis, said in a statement that the he has no doubt the issue “is difficult and sensitive, our hearts go to the families of the victims”.
Grunis added in his statement that “the release of detainees is part of political negotiations that fall under the jurisdiction of the Israeli government.”
The Supreme Court’s decision paves the way for the release of the detainees as planned late on Tuesday at night.
The Israeli Prison Authority has already transported the 26 detainees to the Ayalon Prison in preparation for their release.
