RAMALLAH // Israel on Tuesday freed 26 Palestinian prisoners under peace talks brokered by US Secretary of State John Kerry, who returns to the region this week to boost the faltering negotiations.
The prisoners were the third batch of 104 detainees that Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, pledged to let go in four stages when the peace talks were revived in July.
The release shortly after 4am UAE time came after an Israeli court rejected a last-minute appeal by victims’ families.
Washington hailed the release as a “positive step forward in the overall process” as Mr Kerry prepared to return to the region on New Year’s Day to hammer out a framework to guide the fragile peace talks.
A Palestinian official said “two vans carrying [18] prisoners left Ofer prison” for Ramallah.
Three other prisoners taken to the Gaza Strip and five others driven from Ofer to Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem reached their destinations just before 4.30am UAE time.
Victims’ families had protested the release of the five east Jerusalem prisoners, which they said contradicted a commitment made by Mr Netanyahu.
The 26 inmates had been jailed before the signing of the 1993 Oslo accords, which formally launched the Middle East peace process, and served 19 to 28 years for killing Israeli civilians or soldiers.
The 18 men taken to Ramallah were warmly embraced by Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas in his presidential compound, a correspondent said, before laying flowers on the grave of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
Mr Abbas pledged to the prisoners and their exuberant families that “there would be no final agreement [with Israel] until all prisoners were in their homes”.
The final tranche of prisoner releases is expected at the end of April.
The freed prisoners are hailed by Palestinians as heroes jailed for fighting against the Israeli occupation.
Emotions were also high on the Israeli side, where the jailed militants are viewed as murderers. Some 150 protesters marched on Monday night from the premier’s residence in Jerusalem, bearing pictures of their bereaved relatives and posters with slogans against the release.
This morning’s release was expected to be accompanied by announcements of new construction plans for Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, including east Jerusalem, as the previous two prisoner releases were.
Such a move is likely to infuriate the Palestinians and the international community, providing a further challenge to Kerry when he arrives on his 10th trip to the region since March.
Kerry meanwhile expressed his “appreciation” for Tuesday’s move, State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said a short while before the release.
Ms Harf noted Kerry would be discussing with Netanyahu and Abbas “the proposed framework for negotiations,” which would “serve as guidelines for the permanent status negotiation”.
Mr Kerry has been pressing the sides to agree a framework for a final settlement ahead of an agreed late April target date for the talks to conclude.
He will also have to quell tensions that rose after an Israeli ministerial committee on Sunday gave initial approval to a bill annexing Jordan Valley settlements, in a largely symbolic move expected to be shot down by the government.
Abbas slammed the ministerial decision in his Tuesday remarks to the freed prisoners.
“This is a Palestinian area,” he said. “It’s a red line nobody can cross.”
The Palestinian cabinet meeting later on Tuesday will take place in that contested territory, which would be the eastern border of their future state.
Israel wants to keep a military presence there, but the Palestinians firmly reject such a notion.
* Agence France-Presse
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Registered voters mark the ballot with their choice and must send it back by 6pm Eastern time on October 21 (2am next Friday)
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
