Sources: Pollard might be freed in mid-April

 

            

Sources claim Kerry and Obama are willing to free Israeli spy in exchange for Palestinian prisoners' release

An Israeli spy serving a life sentence in the United States and groups of Palestinian prisoners could be freed under an emerging deal to salvage Middle East peace talks, sources close to the negotiations said on Monday to Reuters.

The sources said under the proposed arrangement that Jonathan Pollard could be released by mid-April.

In addition, Israel would go ahead with a promised release of a fourth group of Palestinians. Another group of jailed Palestinians would also go free - and the peace talks would be extended beyond an April 29 deadline, the sources said.

Pollard was sentenced to life in prison for spying on the US on behalf of Israel during his time as a civilian intelligence analyst for the US Navy. He was arrested in 1985 and given his life sentence in 1987. He is up for parole in less than two years.

But when asked whether US might release Pollard as part of Middle East peace push, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said convicted spy "is serving his sentence." Israel denied the report.

Emergency meeting

Secretary of State John Kerry was holding late-night talks with the leadership in Jerusalem and Ramallah on Monday on his latest mission to salvage the crisis-hit peace process.

He flew in from Paris for what was expected to be little more than a 15-hour visit to push both sides to resolve a lingering dispute over Palestinian prisoners which is threatening to derail the negotiations ahead of an April 29 deadline.

US peace efforts are teetering on the brink of collapse after Israel refused to free a group of 26 veteran Palestinian prisoners under an agreement which brought the sides back to the negotiating table in July 2013.

Furious Palestinian officials have warned that unless Israel changes its stance on the prisoner releases, it could signal the end of the talks.

Kerry, who landed in Tel Aviv shortly after 1600 GMT, went straight to Jerusalem and began talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accompanied by his envoy Martin Indyk and US ambassador Dan Shapiro, an AFP correspondent said.

Israel's chief negotiator Tzipi Livni was also present.

Kerry was later expected in Ramallah for talks with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas who has spent the evening locked in a key leadership meeting in Ramallah to discuss the standoff.

"Our negotiating team has been working with both parties on the ground to help them agree on a path forward, and Secretary Kerry has kept in close touch with his counterparts by phone," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

"After consulting with his team, Secretary Kerry decided it would be productive to return to the region," Psaki said.

"Over the course of the last eight months, the Israelis and Palestinians have both made tough choices, and as we work with them to determine the next steps, it is important they remember that only peace will bring the Israeli and Palestinian people both the security and economic prosperity they all deserve," she said.

Meanwhile, Abbas is convening his top leadership on Monday to discuss his next move. At issue is whether to agree to extend negotiations with Israel and what to do if Israel fails to release a fourth group of Palestinian prisoners that it was schooled to free on Saturday. Palestinian sources quoted by the newspaper A-Sharq Al-Awsat denied reports that the Palestinian Authority (PA) would appeal to the UN for recognition as a state if Israel fails to free the inmates, all of whom have served 20 years or more for terror-related offenses.

The sources said the PA prefers to wait for the results of Kerry's efforts, so as not to appear responsible for scuttling the talks.

Israeli media reported Saturday and Sunday that in return for a Palestinian agreement to extend the talks, Israel had offered to release even more prisoners – several hundred – as long as it gets to pick their names. Abbas has reportedly asked Israel to free 1,200 inmates in return for Palestinian agreement to extend talks.

Will Livni leave government?

Meanwhile, domestic political pressure is growing on Netanyahu from all directions.

The left wing says Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, head of the centrist Hatnu'a party and Israel's chief negotiator to the talks with the Palestinians, will face a massive campaign pressuring her to leave Netanyahu’s coalition government if negotiations fail.

“If there is no fourth round of prisoner releases and the talks break down, the purpose of her remaining in the government is gone,” Peace Now director Yariv Oppenheimer told the Ynet news site. "If the peace process will collapse and she doesn’t use her political power to leave the coalition, there will be a public campaign against her with demonstrations, ads."

Right wing coalition members were also exterting strong pressure on Netanyahu, but stopped short of commiting to leave the government should he go ahead with steps they oppose. Construction and Housing Minister Uri Ariel said he would recommend that his Jewish Home party leave the coalition if Israel agreed to release 400 additional prisoners just to keep the Palestinians at the negotiating table.

Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett said such a concession to the Palestinians “will not happen.”

Communications Minister Gilad Erdan of the Likud warned that the “negotiations monster” would keep asking for more prisoners and concessions if Israel did not set red lines.