Livni: Some Palestinian prisoners to be freed in next two weeks
Justice minister says release will take place by next round of talks, to be held in Israel in second week of August
The next round of talks between Israel and the Palestinians will be held in Israel in the second week of August and some Palestinian prisoners will be freed by then, chief negotiator and Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni (Hatnua) said.
She also said she believed the Palestinians were serious about the process, and that both sides ought to have a good sense already of “roughly how the talks should end.”
Livni told Channel 10 Friday night that the sides had agreed on alternating venues for talks.
“We and the Palestinians both determined that the first meetings would be held once in Israel and once in the Palestinian Authority … we want to do it directly (and close to home). The next meeting will be in the second week of August in Israel,” she said.
“The release [of the first group of Palestinian prisoners] will take place between now and the second week of August,” she added.
Israel Radio reported Saturday morning that the talks are due to recommence on August 14.
Livni also addressed the 9-month timetable for talks announced last week during the first round of negotiations in the US, telling the channel that the timeline was of less importance.
“All the relevant sides have a vested interest in an agreement. If [the talks] are serious and we’re at the eighth month and we find that we need more time, then of course we will carry on talking. If after a month, we see it’s not serious, then why carry on talking for the next eight?
“It is my impression that the Palestinians are serious — this is a test for them… Anybody who enters the [negotiating] room knows roughly how the talks should end.” said Livni.
Last week, Israel approved the release of 104 Palestinian prisoners in order to facilitate the resumption of peace talks, a move that drew criticism from those on the right of the political spectrum, many of whom see the freeing of convicted murderers and terrorists as a price too high to pay for a return to the talks. Others regard it as a necessary evil, meeting a Palestinian demand to enable the resumption of negotiations.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that approving the releases was a deeply painful decision, but one that served the wider interests of the state.
The parties held their first talks in three years in Washington last week, brokered by US Secretary of State John Kerry who traveled to the region no fewer than six times in recent months to get the sides to agree to a renewal of talks.
On Thursday, President Barack Obama called Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to praise both leaders for their roles in the resumption of talks. He also reportedly urged them to “move fast” and make “speedy progress” toward a permanent accord.
The US has indicated that it intends to remain involved and follow developments very closely. Last week, Kerry announced the appointment of former ambassador Martin Indyk to serve as US envoy for Mideast peace and the top American negotiator for the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Ron Friedman contributed to this report.