Israeli Channel 7 has reported that a leaked Israeli document revealed that Israeli Justice Minister, Tzipi Livni, is weighing the possibility of releasing Palestinian detainees who have been held by Israel since before the first Oslo Agreement was signed between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1993.Israeli Channel 7 has reported that a leaked Israeli document revealed that Israeli Justice Minister, Tzipi Livni, is weighing the possibility of releasing Palestinian detainees who have been held by Israel since before the first Oslo Agreement was signed between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1993.
Channel 7 said that the Palestinian Authority (P. A) of President Mahmoud Abbas, in the West Bank, is demanding Tel Aviv to release nearly 120 detainees, and to stop all of its settlement activities before peace talks can resume.
The 120 detainees are serving life-terms in Israeli prisons; they were all kidnapped by Israel before the Oslo Agreement was signed, and Israel refuses to release them.
According Channel 7, the Palestinian Authority is extensively acting on the regional and international levels, trying to oblige Israel to release the old detainees before talks can advance.
The P.A. is also demanding Israel to stop all of its settlement construction and expansion activities, to stop its invasions, and its home demolition policies against Arab homes in occupied East Jerusalem.
The Israeli TV said that Israeli officials believe that the prisoner swap deal mediated between Israel and the Hamas movement in 2011, securing the release of Corporal Gilad Shalit in return for the release of 1027 Palestinian detainees, boosted the image and support the Hamas movement receives from the Palestinians.
It added that Israel wants to strengthen the status of “its diplomatic partners” Abbas and West Bank P.A, by releasing political prisoners.
Meanwhile, an Israeli group calling itself “Terror Victims Association” said that it requested a meeting with Livni to demand her not to release the detainees.
The group said that Livni is reviewing files of Palestinian detainees held since before Oslo, and added that the move is the first step towards releasing what it called “murders”.
The group failed to demand the apprehension and imprisonment of Israelis responsible for dozens of thousands of casualties among the Palestinian civilian population, including infants, children, women and elderly.
