The third release of Palestinian prisoners was completed Dec. 31, and senior Palestinian Authority officials are counting the days to the fateful visit of US Secretary of State John Kerry to Ramallah at the end of next week. The Palestinian Authority is concerned that Israel will announce additional construction in the settlements in the time between the prisoner release and Kerry’s visit. This pattern of announcing construction simultaneously with the release of prisoners is an old story to the Palestinians and has already threatened to derail the talks in the past.
We recall how the Palestinian negotiating team headed by Saeb Erekat resigned after the second prisoner release wave when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced, simultaneously with the release of the 26 prisoners, construction tenders for 5,000 new housing units in the settlements.