Israelis protest decision to release prisoners

Hundreds of Israeli protesters gathered near Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu’s office on Sunday to express anger over his agreement to release 104 Palestinian prisoners as a compromise to resume peace negotiations with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The protesters, many of whom relatives of killed Israelis, held up photos of their deceased family members or posters with red hand prints- to illustrate the blood on the Palestinian prisoners’ hands. In an open letter released by Netanyahu to the Israeli public Saturday, the prime minister acknowledged that the agreement to release the prisoners “clashed with the principle of justice,” but noted that it was necessary to resume talks and “ensure Israel’s essential national interests.” “This is an incredibly difficult decision,” the letter stated. “It hurts the bereaved families, it hurts all of the Israeli people, and it hurts me very much. It clashes with the most important principle – the principle of justice.” Netanyahu on Sunday urged his sceptical coalition partners Sunday to agree to free Palestinian prisoners as part of US efforts to resume peace talks, calling the deal a “tough decision” that he took for the good of the country. He spoke at a meeting of the Cabinet called to vote on the prisoner release, Along with the prisoner release, ministers are also voting on authorizing the resumption of talks with the Palestinians and will set up a team led by the prime minister to oversee negotiations. They approved the draft of an amended bill that would require a national referendum on any partition deal with the Palestinians The Palestinians meanwhile published a list on Sunday with the names of the 104 prisoners expected to be released in the near future, US Secretary of State John Kerry shuttled between Israeli and Palestinian leaders for months seeking a breakthrough and announced last week during his sixth visit to the region that the two sides had finally agreed to meet and renew talks. Preliminary discussions are set to begin Tuesday in Washington, followed by nine months of talks in the region on setting up a Palestinian state alongside Israel.