With 'heavy heart' Israel set to free more terroristsThe cabinet approved on Sunday a new Basic Law requiring a referendum on peace agreements that affect sovereign land. Later the ministers were expected to vote on the release of 104 Palestinian prisoners as a gesture to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ahead of the renewal of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
Basic Law: Referendum is expected to be brought to the Knesset for a first reading on Wednesday. Because the bill only relates sovereign land, the government will not have to hold a referendum to sign a treaty giving parts of West Bank to the Palestinians. However, if a peace deal includes land swaps or parts of Jerusalem, it would require a popular vote.
Cabinet approves referendum bill - Israel News, Ynetnews
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"From time to time, prime ministers are called on to make decisions that go against public opinion when the matter is important for the country." These were the words of the opening paragraph of Benjamin Netanyahus open letter to the Israeli public concerning the release of Palestinian terrorist prisoners as a precondition for resuming peace negotiations.
Netanyhau has agreed to release 104 Palestinian and Arab-Israeli prisoners arrested before the Oslo Accords were signed in 1993. Why? Because the Palestinian Authority told US Secretary of State John Kerry that that it would not attend resumed peace talks in Washington this week unless this pre-condition was met.
A "reluctant" decision on Netanyahus part, he states in his letter that it was one of pain not only for the nation but also for him (having lost his brother to terrorism 37 years ago), and that the decision made "collides with the incomparably important value of justice."
With 'heavy heart' Israel set to free more terrorists - Israel Today | Israel News
