Israel threats to halt 'peace steps' over UN probe

Tel Aviv says will not take steps towards peace if Goldstone Gaza report passes to UN Security Council.

TEL AVIV - Israel warned on Thursday that the UN Human Rights Council would strike a fatal blow to the stalled Middle East peace process if it passes its damning Gaza war report on to the Security Council.

"The adoption of what is called the Goldstone report would deal a fatal blow to the peace process," hardline Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, repeating comments he made at the UN General Assembly last week.

"Israel will not be able to take further steps and further risks towards peace if the report is adopted," Netanyahu said.

The Geneva-based Human Rights Council this week has been discussing the results of the probe which accused both Israel and Palestinian resistance groups of war crimes.

The panel also recommends sending the report to the UN Security Council and to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague.

Richard Goldstone, the respected South African judge who headed the probe, on Tuesday urged the United Nations to refer Israel and the Palestinians to the ICC if they fail to conduct independent investigations as called for by the report.

The report reserved its harshest criticism for Israel.

Israel frees Palestinian prisoner ahead of video swap

Israel has released ahead of schedule one of the 20 women prisoners due to be freed in return for a video of an Israeli soldier held in Gaza, officials said on Thursday.

Bara Malki, 15, was released late on Wednesday after a judge ordered her freed, a spokeswoman for the Israeli Prison Authority said.

"A regular parole board hearing shortened her sentence ... and the judge ordered her released," the spokeswoman said.

Speaking from her home in the Jalazun refugee camp outside the West Bank town of Ramallah, Malki said: "My name was on the list (to be freed) ... I'm happy that I've been released but the court released me because of my age."

On Friday, Israel is due to free 19 other women prisoners in return for a videotape of Gilad Shalit, a soldier seized by Gaza resistance in June 2006.

The exchange, announced on Wednesday, marked a major breakthrough in nearly three years of on-again, off-again Egyptian-brokered negotiations between Israel and Hamas for an exchange. German mediators joined the talks in July.

US, Israel meet again to discuss reviving Mideast talks

US special envoy George Mitchell held talks in Washington Wednesday with two Israeli envoys as part of efforts to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, a spokesman said.

Philip Crowley, the assistant secretary of state for public affairs, said the talks follow up on the summit US President Barack Obama had last week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas.

"Starting right about now here at the Department of State... we have a meeting between George Mitchell and an Israeli delegation, following up on the discussion and the trilateral meeting last week in New York," Crowley told reporters.

Representing the Israelis are a senior Netanyahu aide, Yitzhak Molho, and Defense Minister Ehud Barak's chief of staff Michael Herzog, he added.

Mitchell was due to meet with a Palestinian delegation on Thursday, Crowley said.