Netanyahu Refuses Official Request from President Abbas, Quartet to Release Prisoners
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- Published on Thursday, 09 February 2012 11:39
PNN
Israeli reports have revealed that representatives from European Union member states have asked Israel to release Palestinian prisoners to order to enforce the status of the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, in relation to Hamas. Other leaders from European Union countries have called for creating a blacklist that includes the names of settlers to prevent them from entering EU countries.
Ma'aref, an Israeli news source, published that high-rank envoys of European countries have asked Israel to accept the request of the PA's president, Mahmoud Abbas, to release the Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. According to a Palestinian source, Abbas and the International Quartet have asked the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to release prisoners who were arrested before Oslo Accords in 1993.
The newspaper has revealed that the European envoys have asked Israel to release 123 prisoners from the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and that this request was also discussed by EU representative, Catherine Ashton, during her visit to Israel and Palestine in January 2012.
Ma'aref also revealed that Netanyahu refused to accept as a pre-condition to negotiations the Palestinian request for prisoner release, but indicated that he might agree on other steps such as expanding the power of the Palestinian security services in Area B in the West Bank. Area B is currently under Palestinian administrative control and Israeli security control, as directed by the Oslo Accords.
According to the Palestinian source, Netanyahu has informed the PA and the international Quartet of his rejection for the request of releasing the prisoners, saying that this is not the right time to release the Palestinian prisoners as a good will gesture towards the PA and President Abbas.
