Israel agrees to release Palestinian prisoners

Israel has agreed to release a certain number of Palestinian prisoners, Israeli International Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz revealed on Saturday. "There will be some release of prisoners," the minister told local radio, without giving specific numbers. The latest development came after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry just ended his round of efforts that he had been exerting since March 20 to resume direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. On Friday, Kerry met with Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat in Jordan and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah. According to a well-informed Palestinian source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Kerry had taken upon himself to free 350 Palestinian prisoners, including 100 prisoners detained before Israel and the Palestinians signed Oslo peace accords in 1993.