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Captive soldier Gilad Shalit
Photo: Reuters

Israel releases 6 Hamas legislators

Rumors of progress on Shalit deal spread after Israel frees men arrested in aftermath of his capture

Israel released six Hamas-affiliated members of the Palestinian parliament Monday, including the mayor of Jenin. The detainees have been held for three and a half years, since Hamas kidnapped Gilad Shalit.

 

Three of the six legislators released from prison are residents of Hebron, two are Jerusalem's representatives at the Palestinian legislative council, and the sixth is a resident of Bethlehem. On Sunday another resident of Hebron was also released.

 

Of the 46 Hamas legislators arrested in the aftermath of the Shalit kidnapping, only 15 now remain in prison.

 

Additional detained parliament members include two Fatah operatives, former head of the Tanzim Marwan Barghouti, Jamal Tirawi, and the head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Ahmed Sadat, who was arrested for his involvement in the murder of Minister Rehavam Zeevi.

 

In the wake of the mass release, Hamas said the move proves that the legislators' detainment was politically motivated.

 

"The arrests were meant to undermine the Palestinian parliament and did not stem from security reasons," said Mahmoud al-Ramahi, the Legislative Council's secretary general on behalf of Hamas.

 

Hamas legislator Mushir al-Masri reinforced this view, adding that the arrests violated human rights as well as the rights of elected officials.

 

Meanwhile, Hamas rejected suggestions that the release was related to progress on the Shalit front. However, a Hamas source told the Italian news agency that the last two days saw significant progress in the efforts to finalize a deal, and that there is a good chance a swap will take place ahead of the Feast of Sacrifice at the end of this month.

 


פרסום ראשון: 11.02.09, 20:22
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