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Israel Weighs Palestinian Prisoner Release
[An Nahar] Israeli ministers are to meet Sunday to approve the release of a second batch of Paleostinian prisoners under the terms of renewed peace talks, media said.Maariv daily said Thursday that 26 prisoners would be freed, the same number as in the first tranche in August. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said two days before the July 30 resumption of talks that he had "agreed to free 104 Paleostinians in stages, after the start of negotiations and according to progress." Since the August release, Netanyahu's office has made no statement on a second round. Maariv said the next handover would take place on Tuesday. The European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... 's mission to Israel told Agence La Belle France Presse that envoys of the Middle East  Quartet... The Quartet are the UN (xylophone), the United States (alto), the European Union (soprano), and Russia (shortstop). The group was established in Madrid in 2002 by former Spanish Prime Minister Aznar, as a result of the escalating conflict in the Middle East. Tony Blair is the Quartet's current Special Envoy.... group would meet the same day in Jerusalem. Israeli public radio said that in tandem with confirming the prisoner release, Israeli authorities would announce a new swathe of settler housing to be built in the occupied West Bank or annexed east Jerusalem. It did not specify how many homes or where. An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... , said in a text message Thursday evening that such continued construction was part of "understandings" reached with the Paleostinians and the Americans ahead of the renewal of talks. "Israel will continue in the coming months to announce building in the settlement blocs and in Jerusalem," he wrote. Posted by: Fred 2013-10-25 |
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