Sunday 27 June 2010

Barhoum: Netanyahu's arrogance foiling Shalit deal “ - Israel Leaks Details of Proposed Prisoner Swap”


[ 27/06/2010 - 04:43 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman, has described the Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu as "arrogant and stupid" for ignoring the Israeli public opinion and feelings of the family of captured soldier Gilad Shalit.

Barhoum, in a press release on Sunday, said that the insistence on the part of Netanyahu's government on its "stupid positions" and ignoring the issue of its captured soldier was leading it to serious problems.

He said that this government did not seriously deal with the demand of the Israeli public or the Hamas movement to accomplish the prisoners' exchange deal.

An opinion poll published by the Hebrew daily Ha'aretz recently showed that 72% of those polled agreed to a deal with Hamas including the release of Palestinian prisoners who "killed Israelis", which is opposed by Netanyahu's government.

Barhoum stressed that the Palestinian resistance's conditions were non-negotiable, adding that Hamas is keen on the release of the biggest possible number of Palestinian leaders and prisoners serving high sentences.

Meanwhile, thousands of Israelis participated on Sunday in the march initiated by Shalit's parents from his home in the Galilee to Jerusalem where they are expected to pitch a tent in front of the premier's office and remain there until the release of Shalit.

The biggest number of those taking part in the march were wearing white shirts and caps with the phrase "Shalit is still alive" written on them.

Ha'aretz said that the Israeli government was still adamant on its stance refusing the conditions of Hamas for the swap deal.

However, another Hebrew daily Yediot Ahronot published on Sunday said that Israel was pondering a new proposal by which it would release hundreds of Palestinians including 100 who "killed" Israelis on condition that they would be deported to Gaza Strip or abroad.

It noted that the deal would not include those responsible for human bombing operations and Marwan Al-Barghouthi, the Fatah leader in the West Bank.

Israel is detaining more than 7,000 Palestinian prisoners in its jails some of whom had spent more than quarter of a century in captivity.




27/06/2010 Israel has leaked details about a proposed swap for a soldier held by Hamas, including its willingness to free jailed fighters implicated in the killing of 600 Israelis, media reported on Sunday.

Stories attributed by one newspaper to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office and by another to "government sources" said Israel told Hamas it would include more than 100 detainees who had killed Israelis on condition that they do not go to the occupied West Bank but to Gaza or abroad.

Netanyahu's office declined to confirm or deny the reports.

The stories appeared as Shalit's family marked the fourth anniversary of his capture with a fresh campaign to pressure the government into securing his release.

Commentator Nahum Barnea, writing in the top-selling Yediot Ahronot, said the timing of the disclosure "reeks of a public relations stunt."

Yediot said the offer, passed to Shalit's Hamas captors through a German mediator six months ago, would allow the release of those who had killed up to 10 Israelis each.

It therefore excludes what the paper called the "archterrorists" behind attacks such as a 2002 martyrdom bombing in a hotel restaurant which killed 30 settlers and a 2001 attack on a Tel Aviv disco which took the lives of 21 settlers.

The deal also rules out freeing Palestinian political leaders like Marwan Barghuti, the West Bank leader of the Fatah party who was arrested by Israel in April 2002 and sentenced to five life terms after being convicted of ordering deadly attacks on Israelis.

The Jerusalem Post said the detainees would be freed in two batches, the first of 450, including the top resistance fighters, and the second of 550, for a total of 1,000. "The state of Israel agreed to pay a very heavy price, in the opinion of many people even too heavy," Israeli Science Minister Daniel Hershowitz told reporters at a weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday.

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