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“He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4)

Netanyahu has turned down a request from the Palestinian Authority, backed by the United States, to move up the date of the next scheduled prisoner release to coincide with an upcoming Islamic holiday, as reported by Haaretz newspaper.

During the summer, Israel agreed to release 104 Palestinian prisoners who have been held in Israeli jails since before the 1993 Oslo Accords as a sign of good faith towards the return to negotiations.  The release was set to take place in four stages; the first group of prisoners was released in August.  The second group of prisoners is scheduled for release at the end of the month, October 29, but PA president Mahmoud Abbas asked that they be moved up to coincide with the upcoming Eid Al-Adha, or Feast of the Sacrifice, next week.  The request was made by Abbas and US president Barack Obama during the UN General Assembly meetings in New York, according to Head of Palestinian Prisoners’ Society Qadura Fares.  He added that Israel’s refusal further indicated their hatred towards Palestinians.

On the other end of the spectrum, right-wing MKs have asked Netanyahu to delay or cancel the scheduled release in light of the recent rise in anti-Israel violence.  Two IDF soldiers were killed and a nine-year-old girl injured in separate incidents. IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz argued that the events were isolated incidents carried out by individuals, and not indicative of a deliberate escalation.  Netanyahu also refused to acquiesce to their demands.  The prime minister’s representative in the peace talks, attorney Yitzhak Molcho, assured the PA and the US that and prisoner releases would continue as agreed.  Netanyahu had originally wanted to tie the prisoner releases to advancements in the negotiation process, but agreed to make the releases unconditional in exchange for the PA’s word that it would not make any unilateral moves in the UN during the negotiations.