32 veteran prisoners to remain in Israeli jails after upcoming release

Twenty-six more pre-Oslo prisoners are scheduled to be released in early 2014, which would leave just six of such prisoners left in Israeli jails.
Israel agreed to release 104 veteran Palestinian prisoners who have been in custody since before the 1993 Oslo Accords as part of a plan to resume peace negotiations after talks were halted for more than two years.
The release of the 26 Palestinian prisoners set for Dec. 31 is the third part of that four-stage deal, and Israel has already released 52 prisoners in two previous rounds.
Before the names of this round of prisoners were made public, Israeli military radio said Netanyahu would announce the construction of 1,400 new settlement homes in the occupied West Bank coinciding with the release.
Over 5,200 Palestinians are being held in Israeli jails according to the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Prisoners’ Affairs.
Since 1967, more than 650,000 Palestinians have been detained by Israel, representing 20 percent of the total population and 40 percent of all males in the occupied territories.
Under international law, it is illegal to transfer prisoners outside of the occupied territory in which they are detained, and the families of Palestinian prisoners’ face many obstacles in obtaining permits to see their imprisoned relatives.
The internationally recognized Palestinian territories of which the West Bank and East Jerusalem form a part have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.

Twenty-six more pre-Oslo prisoners are scheduled to be released in early 2014, which would leave just six of such prisoners left in Israeli jails. Israel agreed to release 104 veteran Palestinian prisoners who have been in custody since before the 1993 Oslo Accords as part of a plan to resume peace negotiations after talks were halted for more than two years. The release of the 26 Palestinian prisoners set for Dec. 31 is the third part of that four-stage deal, and Israel has already released 52 prisoners in two previous rounds. Before the names of this round of prisoners were made public, Israeli military radio said Netanyahu would announce the construction of 1,400 new settlement homes in the occupied West Bank coinciding with the release. Over 5,200 Palestinians are being held in Israeli jails according to the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Prisoners’ Affairs. Since 1967, more than 650,000 Palestinians have been detained by Israel, representing 20 percent of the total population and 40 percent of all males in the occupied territories. Under international law, it is illegal to transfer prisoners outside of the occupied territory in which they are detained, and the families of Palestinian prisoners’ face many obstacles in obtaining permits to see their imprisoned relatives. The internationally recognized Palestinian territories of which the West Bank and East Jerusalem form a part have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.