Israel Approves Palestinian Prisoner Release

The Israeli government on Sunday approved the contentious release of long-serving Palestinian and Israeli Arab prisoners, to coincide with the resumption of peace talks, public radio said.

It said that the 22-member cabinet approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposal by 13 votes to seven with two abstentions.

Netanyahu's office said in a statement that the cabinet approved peace talks with the Palestinians but without elaborating where or when.

The statement also did not announce that a prisoner release had been approved, only mentioning the formation of a committee on the issue.

"The government approved the opening of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians... and mandated a ministerial committee for the release of prisoners during the course of the talks," it said.

A Palestinian official told Agence France Presse on Saturday that the U.S.-brokered renewal of peace talks, stalled since September 2010, would open in Washington on Tuesday.

Following the announcement, Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erakat welcomed Israel's decision.

"We welcome the Israeli government's decision to release the prisoners," Erakat told AFP.

"We consider this an important step and hope to be able to seize the opportunity provided by the American administration's efforts."