Hamas denies rejecting Shalit deal
Saudi al-Arabiya network says Palestinian organization's political bureau in Damascus has decided to turn down Israel's latest offer for prisoner exchange following 12-hour debate. Hamas spokesman in Gaza: Nothing has been decided yet, discussions continue
According to al-Arabiya's sources, Hamas' political bureau views the Israeli proposal as going back on the agreement the sides have reached in the past. The sources said the decision was made due to Israel's refusal to release senior prisoners and increase the number of prisoners who will be deported compared to the number it suggested in the past.
Hamas' spokesman in Gaza, Ayman Taha told al-Arabiya that nothing has been decided yet and that the consultations continue. "There are media outlets which rush to publish Hamas' stand, but I stress that the consultations are still going on. After a decision is made, it will be relayed to the German mediator," he said.
Taha slammed the network, saying that "you should report who your source is in the political bureau who told you these things." The Saudi network, however, continues to insist that their report is true.
Taha clarified that there was no difference between the stands of "the internal Hamas" and the "external Hamas", and noted that "Hamas' leadership in Gaza is discussing it and two members of the political bureau, Mahmoud al-Zahar and Khalil al-Hayya are now in Damascus."
A Hamas source in the Gaza Strip refused to confirm the al-Arabiya report. According to the man, Hamas will not be able to accept the deal in its current formula. "There are too many candidates for deportation, there are too many prisoners that Israel refuses to release and all this will make it difficult for us to approve the deal."
Osama Abu Khaled, one of the organization's spokespeople in Damascus, told AFP that "the consultations continue. Hamas is studying the German mediator's offer."
Reports from the past few days have said that the Hamas leadership in Damascus rejects Israel's demand to deport released prisoners abroad. The organization's leaders also insisted that the Jewish state free senior prisoners jailed in its prisons.
Israel is still waiting for Hamas' official response to its reservations. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Tuesday afternoon with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and one of the issues on the agenda was the efforts to secure the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit.
Netanyahu said on Sunday, "As of now, there is no deal, and it is not at all clear if there will be a deal. It is clear that if we reach a practical proposal, I will bring it to the cabinet. But we still are not there and I don't know if we will be."
He clarified that "the issue of our citizens' security, particularly in the West Bank, is a cardinal consideration in the negotiations for Shalit's release. We want our prisoners returned, but at the same time we must minimize the risk to our citizens."
Ali Waked and Amnon Meranda contributed to this report
