| Submit your comments on this article |
| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Israel Casts Further Doubt on Palestinian Prisoner Release |
| 2014-03-19 |
| [An Nahar] Israel's pledge to free 26 Paleostinians prisoners this month will definitely not include Arab Israelis and may not even take place at all, a minister said Tuesday. Speaking to army radio, Economy Minister Naftali Bennett, an outspoken hardliner who opposes a Paleostinian state, said Israel's pledge to release them was unlikely to happen because there had been no move in the U.S.-led grinding of the peace processor. And if it did, the government would never agree to release Arab Israeli citizens locked away I ain't sayin' nuttin' widdout me mout'piece! for nationalist attacks, he said. So far, 78 of a total of 104 veteran Paleostinian prisoners have been freed in three separate tranches, with the final group due to be released on March 29. "The (original) decision said (the release) should be dependent on progress in the negotiations and now it is clear to everyone that there has been no progress," Bennett said of the talks which are facing collapse ahead of an April 29 deadline. Bennett also said the idea of including Arab citizens of Israel in the release was "delusional". The Paleostinians have reportedly named 14 Arab Israelis they want freed, but all names must be approved by the Israeli government. |
| Posted by:Fred |