JERUSALEM
Israeli Economy Minister Naftali Bennett said the Israeli government approved on Sunday a bill allowing Israeli courts to curb the presidential powers to grant pardons to Palestinians convicted of murder.
"If this law had existed earlier, many murderers would not have dared to kill Jews," Bennett, the leader of the right-wing The Jewish Home political party, wrote on his Facebook page.
"This law will soon be presented to the Knesset in order to be approved," he added.
Bennett said the bill comes as a response to the new Palestinian unity government.
A new Palestinian unity government was unveiled earlier this month in line with a Palestinian reconciliation deal signed in April between Fatah and Hamas.
Israel opposes the move and describes Hamas as a terrorist group.
Israeli government used to approve the release of Palestinian prisoners as part of peace gestures or prisoner swaps.
The release would only come into effect after the endorsement of the Israeli president.
The bill, if approved by the Israeli parliament, would curb the ability of the president to releaser certain prisoners.
The Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government reached an agreement last July on the release of 104 prisoners who have been languishing in Israeli jails before the signing of the 1993 Oslo Accord.
Israel released three batches but refused to release the 4th group in March, leading to the collapse of U.S.-brokered peace talks.
In response, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas formally applied for Palestinian membership in 15 U.N. conventions.
By Abdel-Raouf Arnaout
www.aa.com.tr/en
