The High Court of Justice late Monday night rejected a petition to block the third Palestinian prisoner release in the current peace process, but in an unusual development the vote was not unanimous regarding five prisoners being released from east Jerusalem.
While the court was debating the appeal filed by the families of the terrorists' victims, the bereaved families marched through Jerusalem in heavy rain, protesting the release of five of the prisoners who live in east Jerusalem. The march, that started at the Prime Minister's Residence and ended at the Western Wall, blocked traffic in the capital.
Calls of "Death and revenge on the terrorists!" and "Don't release killers!" were heard, and protesters likened US Secretary of State John Kerry to Nazi leader Adolf Eichmann.
While the majority of the protesters ended their march at the Western Wall, 15 selected family members continued on to the prisoner's home in east Jerusalem, as determined by the High Court of Justice earlier on Monday.
The 26 Palestinian security prisoners were set to be released at 1 a.m. on the night between Monday and Tuesday to the West Bank and to the Gaza Strip.
On Monday night, Channel 2 quoted an Israeli official as saying that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told US Secretary of State John Kerry that Israel will not release any Israeli-Arab prisoners in the fourth and final release. Israel has been reluctant to release those prisoners that, unlike the Palestinian prisoners, live within the Green Line.
Netanyahu has reportedly asked the Shin Bet and the Israel Prison service to compile a list of other prisoners to replace the Israeli-Arab prisoners.
The official said Israel feels deceived by Kerry, who caved to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' demand to increase the number of prisoners released from 82 to 104.
Israel will, however, be willing to release Israeli-Arab prisoners as a gesture to the United States, if President Barack Obama frees Israeli agent Jonathan Pollard, a proposal Kerry reportedly promised to consider.
Court rejects appeal
In an unusual development, the High Court's vote to reject the families' appeal was not unanimous regarding five prisoners being released from east Jerusalem.
Although Supreme Court President Asher D. Grunis and Justice Zvi Zilberthal voted to reject the petition against all of the prisoners, Justice Elyakim Rubinstein broke with them regarding five prisoners from east Jerusalem, leaving a split 2-1 vote with votes which until now have been unanimous.
Whereas Grunis and Zilberthal viewed those prisoners as having no special intervening issues to force the court's hand in a matter of state, Rubinstein said he was not convinced that the ministers had received sufficient information to fully weigh "all of the consequences" long-term of releasing east Jerusalem prisoners.
Rubinstein concluded his partial dissent with the hope that, "maybe this time, if there is some morality on the other side, or by some miracle, that low-life murderers will not be received as saviors as has happened over and over."..................................http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Bereaved-families-march-in-Jerusalem-protest-of-Palestinian-prisoner-release-336583
30/12/13
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Related:
Israel frees Palestinian inmates before talks. 26 prisoners freed overnight, as part of deal to enable resumption of peace talks, arrive in Ramallah and Gaza.(14/8/13)
- Families of Israelis victimized by the inmates' attacks have 48 hours to appeal their planned release to the high court. Based on past decisions, the court was unlikely to intervene...
- VIDEO: The Israeli authorities are preparing to free a further 26 Palestinian prisoners as part of a US-brokered agreement to resume direct peace talks.
The government approved the releases on Saturday, but they were delayed by at least 48 hours to allow victims' families to launch legal appeals.
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Israel releases 26 Palestinian prisoners....
ReplyDeleteIsraeli authorities have freed a group of 26 Palestinian prisoners as part of a US-brokered agreement to resume direct peace talks.
The prisoners were greeted by cheering crowds on their return to the West Bank and Gaza.
Israel approved the releases on Saturday, but they were delayed to allow victims' families to appeal.
The prisoners committed murder or attempted murder before the 1993 Oslo accords and have served 19 to 28 years.
They make up the third tranche of a total of 104 prisoners to be freed.
Eight of the men were driven late at night to checkpoints leading into Gaza and East Jerusalem.,,,,,,,http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-25548773
31/12/13