Netanyahu Reaches Out to Palestinians

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took a conciliatory tack ahead of new peace talks with Palestinian leaders, releasing about 1,000 Palestinian prisoners and expanding the Palestinian Authority's reach within the West Bank. According to Israeli paper Haaretz, Netanyahu also conveyed through American officials a proposal to grant Palestinians statehood in 60 percent of the West Bank with final borders to be worked out down the line. A negotiator for the Palestinian Authority, however, responded that a temporary state was out of the question.