Israel edges towards prisoner swap

Israel edges towards prisoner swap

Protesters outside the prime minister's office urged the cabinet to agree a deal [AFP] Israel's cabinet has handed its response to a proposed prisoner exchange deal with Hamas to a German mediator, following lengthy debate between ministers. No details of the Israeli response, which could see hundreds of Palestinian prisoners swapped for an Israeli soldier held in the Gaza Strip, were immediately available on Tuesday. Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier at the centre of the exchange, was captured in a cross-border raid by Palestinian fighters in June 2006 and has been held by Hamas ever since. The Reuters news agency quoted an unnamed source close to the negotiations, as saying Israel had passed its decision to the German mediator and it was now up to Hamas to decide whether to accept the Israeli position. Under the terms called for by Hamas, a deal would see Shalit released in exchange for 1,000 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. 'Not compromise' Al Jazeera's Ayman Mohyeldin, reporting from the Gaza Strip, said Hamas was standing firm on its demands. "Hamas's position has been re-enforced to us this morning. They will not compromise on the list of demands which includes a full list of prisoners ... They will not accept anything other than that. "From their perspective, the ball is in Israel's court." Some Israeli ministers are reportedly opposed to freeing Palestinians convicted of carrying out fatal attacks in Israel. Al Jazeera's Sherine Tadros, reporting from Jerusalem, said the Israeli cabinet had held five rounds of often tense talks over the past 48 hours, in what had been billed as "make or break" time for the deal. But instead the cabinet released a statement early on Tuesday instructing the team negotiating Shalit's release to continue their efforts to secure his return. in depth Why a prisoner swap is key to peace Talk Al Jazeera: Ismail Haniya The statement essentially means that no decision was reached, our correspondent said. Daniel Levy, a former Israeli peace negotiator and now head of a US-based think-tank, said it was unclear whether the apparent deadlock in the Israeli cabinet was a case of brinkmanship or a rejection of the deal, or a calculated decision to postpone and drag out making a decision. Speaking to Al Jazeera from New York, he said the Israeli public would most likely support a deal, "but the real question is whether Mr [Binyamin] Netanyahu [Israel's prime minister] is up for making a decision". The issue of Shalit's detention had become a significant factor in the Israeli psyche, Levy said, reviving what he called the "national trauma" over Ron Arad, the now apparently deceased Israeli pilot captured during the Lebanon war. Call for decision Between the meetings, Netanyahu met Shalit's parents, who earlier made an impassioned plea for ministers to agree to a swap. "I hope that they will decide today," Aviva Shalit, the soldier's mother had said. "And that each minister knows that his decision will decide whether Gilad lives or dies." Shalit was seized in a cross-border raid by Palestinian fighters in 2006 [AFP] Following the meeting with the prime minister, Noam Shalit, the soldier's father, said: "I am not pessimistic but nor am I optimistic." At a protest outside the prime minister's official residence, dozens of demonstrators carried cardboard cutouts of Shalit and urged the cabinet ministers to wrap up an agreement. If approved, the exchange would be subject to a 48-hour period for opponents to file legal challenges. There was no immediate comment on a potential exchange from Hamas officials, but there has been increasing anticipation of a deal being reached in recent weeks. Negotiations Intermittent negotiations between Israel and Hamas have been conducted indirectly, mainly through Egypt, since Shalit was seized by fighters from Hamas and allied groups. On Sunday, Omar Suleiman, Egypt's intelligence chief, held the latest in a series of talks with senior officials in Israel. "Each minister knows that his decision will decide whether Gilad lives or dies" Aviva Shalit Germany, which has a history of organising successful prisoner exchange between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah, has also been involved in mediating in recent months. Israel has, so far, been reluctant to meet Hamas's demand for the release of dozens of Palestinians convicted of carrying out deadly attacks on Israelis. It also wants Hamas to agree to some of the prisoners being deported to areas other than the West Bank to prevent them from joining groups of Palestinian fighters in the future. Netanyahu is said to be facing pressure from the families of Israelis killed by Palestinian fighters now being held in Israeli jail not to agree to their release. According to Israeli media, the Israeli prime minister favours a plan that would see the prisoners sent instead to the Gaza Strip or into exile in foreign countries. Staggered release The Associated Press news agency quoted a Palestinian source as saying that the Palestinian prisoners would be released in two stages. A first group of 450 are to be freed as Shalit is handed over to the Egyptians, and then returned to Israel. The remainder would be released weeks or even months later. More than 10,000 Palestinians are currently being held in Israeli jails. In October, Israel freed about 20 Palestinian women prisoners in exchange for a video showing Shalit in captivity. The video showed Shalit alive and moving - the first proof of his well-being since he was captured.

Source: Al Jazeera