Practical steps towards the release of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit have begun, Palestinian information minister Mustafa Barghouti said Saturday after a Palestinian cabinet meeting.
Barghouti said that Egyptian mediators had handed Israel a list of names of Palestinian prisoners Shalit's captors demanded as part of a swap. He did not specify how many prisoners were on the list.
Barghouti said that the move paves the way for the "swift release" of Cpl. Shalit, who was abducted in a cross-border raid near the Gaza Strip on June 25 by gunmen from three Palestinian groups, including Hamas' armed wing.
Gilad, right, with his father Noam Shalit (Photo: Reproduction)
The next step was up to Israel, the Palestinian minister noted.
"The ball is now on the Israeli side, which can now speed up the release of Shalit and the release of some of the ... Palestinian prisoners who are in Israeli jails," he told a news conference.
"If the Israeli government is serious, there is now a very good opportunity to end this chapter," Barghouti said.
In response to the report, senior officials in Jerusalem confirmed that progress had been made in the negotiations towards Shalit's release.
However, they noted that "the road to his release is still long." In addition, the officials refused to confirm or deny the report that Eygptian mediators had handed over a list of the kidnappers' demands.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said in the past that he was ready to release large numbers of Palestinian prisoners. However, negotiations deadlocked over who should be freed. The Palestinians demanded the release of long-serving inmates, while Israel has balked at freeing those involved in attacks that killed or wounded Israelis.
Abbas: We are optimistic
Barghouti's statements come one day after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas expressed confidence that Gaza gunmen would soon release Shalit and an abducted BBC journalist in a French television interview.
"I would like to say that we are working to secure Shalit's release and that these efforts will soon bear fruit. We are optimistic. He will be released soon," Abbas told the France 24 news channel.
"I am convinced we must free the soldier Shalit. He cannot remain imprisoned all this time," he said. "At the same time, we say to the Israelis that they must free the Palestinian prisoners. But one thing does not depend on the other. Shalit must be released."
Abbas' comments, however, should be taken with a grain of salt, as he has made similar statements on multiple occasions in the past.
'Shalit received eyeglasses'
Meanwhile, the Egyptian mediators involved in negotiating Shalit's release transferred his personal eyeglasses to his captors, who passed them on to Shalit, Palestinian sources told the Israeli-Arab newspaper al-Sinara.
Shalit's father, Noam, sent his son the glasses over two months ago, and the pair was given to Gilad about two weeks ago.
However, Abu Mujahid, a spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees in Gaza which is one of the organizations holding Shalit, said that the report was purely "speculation."
Ronny Sofer, Roee Nahmias and news agencies contributed to the report
First published: 18:21, 04.07.7