Israel sets a list of 450 detainees to be freed in a possible swap deal

Tuesday September 09, 2008 12:38 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Israeli sources reported on Tuesday that a Special Ministerial Committee has finished preparing a list, which includes the names of Palestinian detainees who could be freed in a prisoner swap deal with Hamas in exchange for releasing the captured Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit.

File - Soldeirs kidnapping a Palestinian Child

The list includes 450 names of detainees and was handed to the Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert. So far, it is unclear whether Olmert would approve the list or nor but it will be handed to Egypt as an official Israeli proposal for Hamas.

Hamas initially demanded the release of 1500 detainees, 450 in the first state, while the rest would be freed in subsequent rounds; but Israel repeatedly said that it will not free more than 450 detainees.

On Sunday, a deliberations session was held at the office of Olmert and the names of 450 detainees were determined.  The session was headed by the Vice Prime Minister, Haim Ramon, and is in charge of setting new criterion which will include detainees who are involved in attacks that led to Israeli fatalities. Israeli leaders always said that they will not include the release of any detainee “with blood on his hands” in any prisoner swap deal or any unilateral prisoner release.

Several senior Israeli officials and senior officials of the security devices participated in the session. Among the officials were Avi Dichter, the Israeli Public Security Minister, and Ofar Dekel, who is in charge of the Military Intelligence Prisoner and Missing Personnel Department.

The list of detainees will be discussed in the coming days by Olmert, his Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni, and his Defense Minister, Ehud Barak. It will then be handed to Egypt’s Intelligence Chief, Omar Suleiman, who will hand it to Hamas movement as an official Israeli proposal, the first since Shalit was captured.

Media sources reported that that list includes 70 names that Hamas demanded their release and were approved by Israel earlier, while the rest are detainees that “Israel is willing to free,” which will most likely include detainees who are about to finish their terms.

Israeli sources also stated that several Israeli officials handed Egyptian counterparts messages threatening that if the talks on Shalit are not renewed then Israel will act in different ways including shutting down all crossings and carrying a limited military offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Several Israeli security officials, including the Shabak Head, Yuval Diskin, support increasing the pressure on Hamas movement even if this would endanger the current truce.

The official said that Israel would take “different active measures” against Hamas if it continues to delay talks over Shalit. The Israeli threat was delivered to Hamas through an Egyptian mediator last week.

Israel to deliver its own list of would-be released prisoners in swap of Shalit

Tuesday September 09, 2008 11:50 by Rami Almeghari - IMEMC & Agencies  

Israel will soon deliver its own list of would-be released Palestinian prisoners to Egyptian mediators, within a possible prisoners swap deal between Israel and Hamas, Israeli online daily Haaretz reported.

The online paper published that a Ministerial Committee pertaining to captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, has completed all needed preparations to deliver a list of 450 Palestinian prisoners, not necessarily those wanted by Hamas.

The list includes 70 prisoners whom Hamas wants to see freed, some of them are described by Israel as those whose hands are stained with blood.

Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, his Foreign Minister, Tzibi Livni and his defense minister, Ehud Barak, will be meeting this week to discuss the proposed list and that it will be delivered to the Egyptian side, once it is approved, Haaretz said.

It is the first time in the past two years that Israel prepares its own list of Palestinian prisoners within a potential prisoners swap deal, in which Shalit is expected to be released by the ruling Hamas party in Gaza.

In June 2006, Hamas and two other resistance factions captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, in a cross-border attack in the southern Gaza Strip, following a horrible shooting incident at Gaza's northern beach, which claimed the lives of an entire Palestinian family.

israel | prisoners | news report saed at imemc dot org