Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: Screenshot.

Jerusalem Post – Just prior to the start of Operation Protective Edge, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that his government would not release any more Palestinian prisoners convicted of terrorist acts as a gesture to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Channel 2 reported on Tuesday.

Last year, Israel had agreed to a four-stage release of prisoners as part of the terms for the resumption of peace negotiations with Abbas’ government, but the final stage was canceled after mutual recriminations between Jerusalem and Ramallah over the breakdown of the talks.

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