Haniyah says Israeli-Palestinian prisoner swap imminent

Haniyah: Prisoner swap imminent

Date: 21 / 07 / 2008 Time: 16:02
Gaza – Ma'an –

Prime Minister of the de facto government in Gaza, Ismail Haniyah, said on Monday that he believed an agreement would soon be brokered with Israel to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners in return for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

In a celebration held in the headquarters of the de facto Ministry of Prisoners' Affairs in Gaza, Haniyah reiterated that Hamas would insist that all of its demands are met before any exchange with Israel went ahead. "We will not abandon these demands until prisoners are returned to their families as part of a national ceremony," Haniyah explained.

"I tell you that a happy ending is coming, and the chains of the jails will break and Palestine will soon celebrate an honorable prisoner swap," he added.

Haniyah also condemned the Israeli apprehension of Palestinian Legislative Council deputy Muna Mansour along with a number of businessmen in the West Bank city of Nablus, describing the Israeli assaults against Nablus charities and institutions as a humanitarian disaster.

He emphasized that the Israeli policies of oppression, terrorism, detention, building the separation wall, and the continuation of settlement expansion and military checkpoints in the West Bank have all failed to break Palestinians' spirits.

Haniyah also announced that his government will pay $500 to the families of each Palestinian prisoner starting on the first day of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, which begins in September.

Diplomatic sources: Israeli occupation government may be willing to trade Barghouthi for Shalit

Monday July 21, 2008 18:48 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News

According to a report leaked by diplomatic sources close to Egyptian mediators, the Israeli occupation government may be willing to release jailed Palestinian resistance leader and former Presidential candidate Marwan Barghouthi in exchange for the release of Israeli Corporal Gilad Shalit, who is being held by Palestinian resistance groups.

The release of the jailed Palestinian leader would herald a dramatic change in Israeli policy. Israeli officials have long stated that the release of the popular legislator, and founder of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of the Fateh party, was off the table for negotiation.

The report was leaked to Al-Bayan', an Arabic-language newspaper in the United Arab Emirates, and included a statement that the negotiations for the prisoner releases could still be impeded by outside forces, including the US and Britain.

Previously, Israeli officials had discussed the release of only certain low-level political prisoners, including less than one hundred of the over 10,000 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Now, according to the leaked report, the Israelis are actually considering releasing leaders like Barghouthi, as well as a number of other legislators that Israeli forces abducted in 2006. Over 100 Palestinian legislators were abducted during the 2006 raids, which targeted the recently-elected Hamas party in the West Bank. Those on the list to be released include Hassan Salama, Abdullah Bargouthi and Ibrahim Hamed.

Report: High-ranking Israeli officials doubtful Hamas prisoner deal will pass

Date: 20 / 07 / 2008 Time: 20:13
Bethlehem - Ma’an –

The Israeli occupation government has agreed to release just 70 prisoners from a list of 450 Hamas wants freed in exchange for the release of an Israeli soldier held by Palestinians in Gaza, an Israeli newspaper reported on Sunday.

The Hebrew-language daily Maariv quoted high-ranking sources in the Israeli Prime Minister’s office asserting that the remaining prisoners on the list are “killers” whose release will harm Israel’s security.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz called the prisoner negotiations "deadlocked."

Other high-ranking sources suggested that these reservations about the prisoners on Hamas’ list means that a deal between Hamas and Israel is still not within reach.

Hamas is hoping to reach a deal on the prisoners in the wake of a historic exchange of prisoners and bodies last week between Israel and the Lebanese resistance movement Hizbullah.

In that deal, Hizbullah released 2 dead bodies in exchange for the bodies of about 199 Palestinian and Lebanese fighters and five live prisoners.

Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups have been holding Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier, since 2006. Shalit is believed to be still alive.

Also quoted in Maariv was the Israeli intelligence chief Yuval Diskin, who recently approved the release of prisoners “with blood on their hands,” and continues to oppose many of the names on Hamas’ list.

The Israeli cabinet will meet soon to define the “red lines” which Israel will not cross in any prisoner exchange deal.

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