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good luck with that
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...96Q0AL20130728(Reuters) - Israel and the Palestinians plan to resume peace negotiations this week for the first time in nearly three years after an intense effort by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to bring them back to the table.
The talks are scheduled to resume in Washington on Monday evening and on Tuesday and will be conducted by senior aides to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the State Department said.
"Both leaders have demonstrated a willingness to make difficult decisions that have been instrumental in getting to this point. We are grateful for their leadership," Kerry said in a statement.
Middle East analysts voiced skepticism that the talks might lead to a peace treaty to end the more than six-decade conflict that has defied two decades of U.S. efforts to broker a solution.
Still, the resumption of negotiations is a rare moment of good news in the Middle East for the Obama administration, which has struggled to formulate a policy to try to end the civil war in Syria or to facilitate a democratic transition in Egypt.
Even getting the Israelis and the Palestinians to agree to resume talks required great effort by Kerry, who made six peace-making trips to the region in the last four months - an unusual amount of time - to coax them back.
The last piece of the puzzle came together when the Israeli Cabinet on Sunday approved the release of 104 Palestinian prisoners, with 13 ministers voting for the release, seven against and two abstaining, an Israeli official said.
good luck with that
This looks promising.
US twists Israel's arm to make unilateral concessions and Palestinians say you. Been there, done that.
what concessions, namely?
ERUSALEM – The Israeli government agreed Sunday to release 104 Palestinian prisoners over the next nine months as a gesture to lure Palestinian leaders back to the negotiating table.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the deal, while painful for the family members of those killed in terrorist attacks, was vital to Israel’s security and stability.
After a long debate Sunday, he won 13 votes from his 22-member cabinet. Seven members opposed and two abstained.
Netanyahu faced considerable pressure from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who is hoping to renew talks in Washington on Tuesday between representatives from both sides.
Protesters outside the prime minister’s office criticized the decision, saying it will reward terrorists and free criminals with “blood on their hands.”
Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, who voted in favor of the release, said that prisoners will only be set free as long as negotiations proceed in good faith.
Prisoners are likely to be released in four stages, beginning next month and ending early next year.
that's a goodwill gesture. tactics, not strategic or policy concession.
released to find that your home got the bulldozer.
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