Israel releases 26 Palestinian prisoners

A group of 26 prisoners were driven out of jail in minibuses with tinted windows

Israel has released 26 Palestinian prisoners as part of a deal that will see peace talks resume this week.

Buses carrying the inmates drove them from a prison in central Israel to the Beitunia crossing in the West Bank and the Erez crossing with the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas greeted the 11 sent to the West Bank, while crowds met the other 15 in Gaza.

Israeli and Palestinian representatives will begin direct talks in Jerusalem on Wednesday after a three-year hiatus.

Failed legal moves

The men were driven away from the Ayalon prison complex late at night in vehicles with darkened windows to avoid any display of triumphalism.

Small groups of Israeli protesters had gathered outside the prison and jeered as the buses drove off.

Relatives and friends of the freed men gathered on the frontiers with Gaza and the West Bank, with bands playing bagpipes parading through flag-waving crowds.

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At the scene

Yolande KnellBBC News, Ramallah

Celebrations have begun in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip to welcome home the prisoners. Most have been in jail for some 20 years.

On the Palestinian side, the men are viewed as heroes of the nationalist cause.

But many were convicted of murder and most Israelis view them as terrorists.

The Israeli prison service arranged this handover late at night to make it less of a spectacle.

The inmates were named by Israel's prison service shortly after midnight on Sunday, giving victims' families 48 hours to submit legal challenges to the High Court.

Earlier on Tuesday, the court rejected an appeal by a victims' rights group that objected to the release of all the prisoners.

Meanwhile, Palestinian negotiators have reacted angrily to news that the Israeli authorities have approved the building of more than 1,000 homes in settlements on land claimed by the Palestinians.

Israel says the new homes will be built on land they would expect to keep as part of any future deal on territory.

US Secretary of State John Kerry says the Palestinians remain committed to the talks despite the settlement issue.

About 500,000 Jews live in more than 100 settlements built since Israel's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The Palestinians want to establish their state in those areas, as well as the Gaza Strip.

The settlements are considered illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.