Shalit deal could reached Friday

Monday November 23, 2009 10:11 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Gilad Shalit - Reprinted from Paltoday

Moneer Mansour, head of the Friends of the Palestinian Detainee Society, stated that a prisoner-swap deal between Israel and Hamas could be executed on the eve of the Al Adha Muslim feast, likely on Friday.

Mansour added that the Egyptian mediator managed to dissolve some issues that obstructed the deal including reaching an agreement with Israel to release 22 Arab detainees under the criteria of ‘humanitarian motives’.

He added that last month’s release of Asem Al Wali and Bishir Al Maqt, from the Golan, is part of the deal which will include the release of more detainees from the Golan Heights.

Mansour further stated that detainees Sami Yousef, 81,from the Golan, was supposed to be released too but Israel changed its stance and decided not to release him.

He also said that detainees from Jerusalem and detained Arab residents of Israel would be released gradually under Egyptian and German guarantees.

According to Mansour, Israel would also release senior Hamas leaders who would be moved to Gaza while Israel insists on deporting some of them.

The first stage of the deal includes releasing 450 detainees after Shalit is safely moved to Egypt where he would be examined by Israeli physicians. One month after the first stage, Israel would release 550 detainees.

Fathi Hammad, Minister of Interior in Gaza, stated Saturday that the Hamas leadership will not make any statements regarding Shalit talks, and that this issue plays an essential role in prisoner-swap talks.

The talks are being closely monitored by the Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, and Israel’s President, Shimon Peres.

On Sunday, Peres held a meeting with Mubarak in Cairo, and discussed the latest developments of Shalit’s deal which could be carried out on November 27, which also marks Al Adha Muslim feast.

Mubarak told Peres that he would personally guarantee the safety of Shalit who will remain in Egypt until Israel fulfill its part of the deal.

Also on Sunday, Israeli Army Chief of Staff, Gabi Ashkenazi, stated that Tel Aviv is committed to returning Shalit back home, and that talks on the issue are still ongoing.

Ashkenazi added that the recent leaked information on Shalit does not help in advancing towards a deal.

After a September video showed in good health, Israeli officials stepped up negotiations with the Palestinian leadership to secure the release of Shalit in exchange for a few hundred of the over 7,000 Palestinians held in detention camps in Israel.

A delegation from the Hamas party, which is the elected government of the Palestinian people (under Israeli military occupation) will travel to Cairo on Monday to go over the list of detainees which Israel is prepared to release in exchange for Shalit.

Previous negotiations for a prisoner swap broke down when Israel refused to release dozens of the detainees on Hamas' list, saying that they would only release those detainees that did not pose a “security threat” -- leading some to question why Israel continues holding detainees who do not pose a security threat at all.

No officials have given word as to which prisoners are on the list that Hamas is presenting at the meeting, or whether the list includes top political detainee Marwan Barghouthi, believed to be the founder of the Al-Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of the Fateh party (rival party to Hamas), and is seen by many Palestinian political strategists as the only person who could bring about Palestinian internal unity.

gaza strip | prisoners | news report saed at imemc dot org