Barghouti: Shalit's Capture Achieved What No Dialogue Could

Al-Manar

25/11/2009 Fatah strongman Marwan Barghouti said in an interview on Wednesday that he intends to run in the next Palestinian presidential election, and remarked that the capture of Israeli occupation soldier Gilad Shalit by Gaza resistance fighters achieved what no negotiations could ever achieve.

Shalit was captured in 2006, and has been held by Hamas for over three years. Recent reports suggest that Israel and Hamas are closer than ever to reaching an agreement on a deal that would see hundreds of Palestinian prisoners released in exchange for Shalit's freedom. It is unclear whether Barghouti will be among those prisoners, as he is currently serving five consecutive life sentences in an Israeli prison for his role in murderous terror attacks.



"Maybe Israel will finally understand that Hamas' demands cannot be ignored," Barghouti told the Milan-based Corriere Della Sera, adding that the main issue topping his agenda currently is achieving unity between rival Palestinian factions.

"Following a [unity] deal, I will be ready to submit my candidacy" for Palestinian president, he said.

Remarking on the Shalit prisoner exchange, Barghouti said "this time it is really happening, and some of the prisoners will finally be free." He added that the capture of an Israeli soldier was directly responsible for progress that no dialogue has been able to achieve - the release of prisoners. "It appears that Israel had no choice but to yield to Hamas' list of prisoners, of which I am one," Barghouti told the newspaper, via his attorney.


If Barghouti is released in a prisoner exchange, it could have far-reaching strategic implications on internal Palestinian balance of power, and attempts to strike a peace deal with Israel.

Fatah officials say that Barghouti's release could expedite the resignation of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, paving the way for Barghouti to assume the post.

Palestinian opinion polls show that Barghouti is extremely popular among the Palestinian public.

It is safe to assume that many within Barghouti's Fatah faction would be happy to see Barghouti stay under lock and key; many of them took part in the efforts to block his allies from gaining seats in the last party primary.
Barghouti, who maintains exceptionally close relations with the Hamas leadership, has been trying to promote Palestinian unity for quite some time.

In an interview from his prison cell last week, Barghouti voiced support for the idea of Palestinian "resistance" alongside peace negotiations with Israel.

Officials from the Palestinian Ministry for Prisoner Affairs convened in Jericho on Tuesday against the backdrop of a framed photograph of Barghouti hugging fellow prisoners from a range of Palestinian factions, among them Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Secretary General Sadat and two senior Hamas officials. That is Barghouti's way - putting Palestinian unity above peace talks considerations. This stance has proven popular with the Palestinian public and has bolstered Barghouti's position as the prominent leadership candidate.

Barghouti's wife, who attended the meeting, was even welcomed as "the next president's wife." "I hope to see him soon," she said, somewhat evasively. Those who have met with him recently say that Barghouti has accepted the challenge and is preparing himself for the political activity that will inevitably follow his release, should it come to pass.

Barghouthi: PA negotiations did not liberate prisoners


Hamas: Shalit Swap Stuck on Prisoner List, No Deal within Days
Hanan Awarekeh

25/11/2009 Prisoner swap talks between Hamas and Israel have hit a snag over some of the top fighters the Islamic resistance group wants freed in return for Israeli occupation soldier Gilad Shalit, and a deal is unlikely in the coming days, Hamas officials said Wednesday.

Israel is objecting to some of the names put forward by Hamas, a senior official of the Islamic resistance group familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. He said the German mediator shuttling between the sides has presented an alternative list of names provided by Israel, and Hamas leaders are studying it.

Earlier on Wednesday morning, senior Hamas sources told Arab media that the next 24 hours will be critical in terms of the prisoner exchange deal with Israel. The organization's leaders, who left Cairo on Tuesday evening, are meeting in the offices of Hamas' politburo chief Hamas political chief Khaled Mashaal in Damascus, who was expected to give his answer Wednesday on the compromise formula and to decide whether to accept Tel Aviv's latest offer.

Members of the Hamas delegation from the Gaza Strip traveled to Damascus Tuesday night, after concluding talks with the German mediator in Cairo. If there are no unforeseen obstacles there is a feeling that the deal will be ready for implementation in a few days.

And in a sign that the negotiations were moving forward, Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyyeh canceled a trip to Saudi Arabia for the annual Muslim pilgrimage at the last minute on Tuesday.

Anticipation that hundreds of Palestinian detainees might soon be released in a deal with Israel was so high in Gaza that Haniyyeh had been asked to remain in the Gaza Strip to greet the prisoners, said a Hamas legislator in Gaza City.

An Egyptian source told Fox News on Wednesday that a final decision on the swap deal does not rest solely on Hamas, but rather it is Israel that must decide whether to green light several of the names on Hamas' list and make the exchange happen.

In Damascus on Tuesday, Hamas official Mohammed Nazzal said Israel still had reservations over releasing some prisoners sought by Hamas who had "long prison terms." "If Israel reacts with flexibility it will end soon, or it will be postponed indefinitely," he said. "During the next few days the picture will become clear."

According to al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper, the deal is being delayed over four names, led by Ibrahim Hamed, who was arrested in 2006 for his involvement in deadly attacks. Israel, according to some of the reports, is only willing to release him if he is deported outside the Palestinian territories. The three other detainees delaying the deal, according to the report, are Abdullah Barghouti, Abbas al-Seid, and Ahmed Saadat.

It is still unclear whether former Fatah Secretary-General in the West Bank Marwan Barghouti, who is serving several life terms for murder, will be freed as part of the deal.

The wife of Ahmed Saadat, the secretary-general of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine who is detained for planning the murder of Minister Rehavam Ze'evi, says she has not received any information from an offi

cial source that her husband is expected to be released in exchange for Shalit. "My husband prefers the deal to include veteran prisoners and those sentenced for longer jail terms than him. In addition, he would like to see sick prisoners, women and minors released before him," Abla Saadat said.

One of Hamas' senior members, Dr. Khalil Al-Hayya, said Tuesday night that his movement continued to hold on to its demands in terms of the swap deal. He warned that Israeli stubbornness in the face of Hamas' stipulations could torpedo the swap.Meanwhile, Israel is waiting for Hamas' response and attempting to lower expectations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised Tuesday that if and when a deal is finalized, it would be brought to the government's approval "and to a public discourse."

Israeli ministers are expected to convene Wednesday for a pre-scheduled diplomatic-security cabinet meeting, where they may learn more about the deal's outline and timetable.

Even though Netanyahu reiterated the need to keep quiet, the Israeli leadership continues to issue statements on the matter. In addition to his own statement on the absence of a finalized agreement, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told new conscripts at the Israeli army induction center that with regard to Shalit, "It is a matter that affects every one of you - we all have supreme responsibility to bring him home using all appropriate and possible means."

Israeli Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi said the following: "Israeli army commanders, those who sent Gilad to his mission, are committed to do everything possible to bring him home."

And Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, Israeli minister of industry, trade and labor, who Tuesday morning, during his visit in Turkey, said unequivocally: "We are closer than ever to a deal."

Meanwhile, the PA leadership is worried that a prisoner exchange accord would bolster Hamas¹s standing among Palestinians.
Talking to The Jerusalem Post, a senior Fatah operative in Ramallah said, "It would be very embarrassing for the Palestinian leadership if Hamas manages to free a large number of prisoners in return for the soldier. I'm not sure our leaders will be happy."
Earlier Wednesday, a senior Israeli official told Army Radio that the U.S. administration was opposed to the emerging understandings between Israel and Hamas surrounding the deal. "The U.S. does not support negotiations with terror organizations," the official said. "Washington knows that any release of Palestinian prisoners to the West Bank could harm Palestinian President Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) and become a victory for Hamas," he added.

The pro-Israel lobby AIPAC also voiced concern over the possible prisoner swap but refrained from explicitly criticizing Netanyahu. However, senior AIPAC strategist Josh Block told Army Radio that the Israeli government must find a balance between the release of hundreds of Palestinian detainees and the protection of Israel's long-term interests.

Israel is striking a deal with Hamas while it should be negotiating peace with the Palestinian Authority, Block said, adding that he hoped that Israel would be able to balance between the two.

Sawaf: Israel is maneuvering regarding the prisoner swap deal

[ 25/11/2009 - 06:10 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- Palestinian political analyst and writer Mustafa Al-Sawaf said Wednesday that Israel is procrastinating and maneuvering regarding the prisoner swap deal in an attempt to reduce the demands of the Palestinian resistance despite it knows that Hamas can never change its positions.

In a press statement to the Palestinian information center (PIC), Sawaf stressed that Israel is trying to export its crisis regarding its soldier Gilad Shalit to Hamas at the pretext that it is awaiting the approval of Khaled Mishaal, despite the fact that Hamas tabled its demands from the first moment of the prisoner swap talks.

He added that Hamas provided the Egyptian mediator from the beginning with lists of the Palestinian prisoners’ names it wants to swap for Shalit as well as a clear and detailed plan about the mechanisms for releasing them.

The analyst underlined that the swap deal could see the light of day if Israel stopped its maneuvers and responded to the demands of Hamas, noting that the Palestinians would not lose more than they had lost if Israel persisted in its intransigence.