JERUSALEM - Israeli leaders were considering offering another round of Palestinian prisoner releases before peace talks in the United States, the Jerusalem Post said.

Government officials told the newspaper that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann were going to approach the Knesset to approve the good will gesture before talks in Annapolis, Md., later this month.

Several weeks ago, Israel freed 120 Palestinians from jails, although Israel reported the number and identities of the prisoners of the proposed release hadn't yet been determined.

The move was met with criticism from Israeli opposition leader Binyamin Netanyahu, who said it was a repetition of a mistake previous governments made where "they gave everything but all they got in return were terrorists."

Elsewhere, senior Palestinian political adviser Ahmed Abdel Rahman told the Saudi newspaper Al Okaz the two sides were having difficulties reaching an agreement on the declaration of principles to be presented at Annapolis, Monday's Post report said.

© 2007 United Press International. All Rights Reserved.