Psaki: Kerry appreciates Israeli decision to free more Palestinian prisoners

Secretary of State John Kerry, to start a Mideast tour later this week, expresses his appreciation for Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to release a third batch of Palestinian prisoners, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Monday. The Israeli government's commitment to release Palestinian prisoners helped enable the start and the continuation of the final-status negotiations under way in the Middle East since last July, Psaki said during a briefing, "and we believe this is a positive step forward in the overall process." Kerry will travel to Jerusalem on Wednesday to meet with Netanyahu and to Ramallah to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and will focus on "the permanent status negotiations, as we have in the past," Psaki said. During the trip, Kerry will discuss with both leaders the proposed framework for negotiations, which would serve as guidelines for the permanent status negotiation and would address all the core issues, she said. "This is a detailed consultation with the leaders continuing to work to bridge gaps between the parties, obviously continuing to encourage both sides to take constructive steps, including the prisoner release this evening in Israel as well," she said. Psaki declined to comment on reports that the Israeli government will shortly announce more settlement expansions. "I leave it up to the Israeli government to make announcements if and when they do," she said. "We have made it very clear throughout this process what our position is on settlements, and we encourage all sides to take steps to create a positive environment."