Israel likely to free 980 Palestinians for Shalit

[oberliner]

Israel is likely to free up to 980 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, the State Prosecution announced on Sunday.

The prosecution was responding to a petition submitted to the High Court of Justice by a group of bereaved parents, requesting that the names of all Palestinian prisoners included in the prisoner swap be disclosed to the public.

According to the prosecution, Israel is likely to release the 450 prisoners requested by Hamas as part of the deal to see Shalit released after three years of captivity in the Gaza Strip.

Following that, said the prosecution, Israel would free another 530 prisoners as a "gesture to the Palestinians." The list of those prisoners has still not been finalized, said the prosecution.

None of the names of prisoners to be exchanged will be published until after a deal has been secured, according to the prosecution.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1131456.html

[tabatha]

1. Israel is negotiating with terrorists.

The US would NEVER do that.

Palin, Cheney, what do you say now?

[kirby]

3. Didn't Reagan do that? n/t

[Sarah Ibarruri]

2. I'm all for that, but after that, it's time for Israel to get tough.

I think it's good that the names of the released should be published, their photos posted everywhere, and their crimes explained in detail.

[shaayecanaan]

4. get tough...

I agree they should stop mucking around, let people know they mean business, and jolly well give them what for if they won't play along nicely.

Any more inane talkback radio comments from you or have I just about covered the field?

[pelsar]

5. your living in a dream world....

to begin with, to many they are heros for what they did or planned on doing...and of course any publication would be considered nothing more than propaganda.....besides no one really cares

and i have no idea what "getting tough" actually means.....presently the westbank is quiet with the IDF and the PA working together.....in gaza, hamas is busy quietly rearming to prepare for their next round.

the peace process is on hold until something happens.....

[Mosby]

6. Barak has been trying to develop guidelines

snip

The defense minister proceeded to explain how he might give his voice to a deal in which Schalit would be exchanged for hundreds of Hamas terrorists, while at the same time objecting to negotiating with kidnappers. Regulated principles for conduct in such instances have only recently begun to be consolidated, he said, based on the recommendations of a committee of experts.

"Israel is on a slippery slope, the slide must be stopped, but not at the expense of a person who is already in Hamas captivity," he told the radio station. "A year ago I appointed a commission… to recommend principles and processes regarding abductees and prisoners of war… incidentally, they are not the same," he said of the two categories, and elaborated.

"With prisoners of war, the rule is - all of our prisoners in return for all of the enemy's, even if we have 3,000 and they have 3. With abductees, since it is very easy to kidnap, it can turn into a method to extort the State of Israel, and we are being led down this slippery slope… other countries don't negotiate with abductors, and the number of kidnappings is dropping," Barak pointed out.

"But as for Schalit, my position that is you don't change a 20-year process while you have a soldier in captivity."

snip

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1259231076634&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull

[sabbat hunter]

7. so this news was about a month ago

still no signs of Shalit being released. No surprise here.

[Violet_Crumble]

8. They're working out a deal now but there's been some sticking points...

One of them is that Israel was demanding that many of the prisoners they were to release were to be expelled from Gaza and the West Bank. Hamas objected to the large number and is supposed to be close to agreeing to a deal with the numbers reduced. I'm not too sure about these things but expelling people from Gaza and the West Bank would mean a third country must agree to take them in and I can't imagine that'd be a smooth or quick thing to arrange.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1137297.html