Free Shalit activists begin march
Photo: Avisag She'ar Yeshuv
Red line. Ahmed Saadat
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Deal delayed due to refusal to allow terrorists into West Bank
As captive soldier's family begins protest march to Jerusalem, it is revealed that six months ago Israel agreed to release some 100 terrorists involved in murder of 800 people, but refused to allow their return to West Bank due to security concerns based on Jibril, Tannenbaum prisoner swaps
What is delaying the Shalit deal? Israel has agreed to release some 100 terrorists who have murdered more than 600 Israeli citizens, injured some 1,500 others and killed about 200 collaborators, but it refuses to allow their return to the West Bank for fear they will resume terror-related activity in the region.
The concerns are based on previous prisoner exchange deals, mainly the Jibril Agreement (1985) and the Elhanan Tannenbaum (2004) swap deal.
Fight for Soldier's Release
Ahiya Raved
After four years in captivity, family of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit embarks on 12-day journey from its home in north to Jerusalem in bid to pressure government to secure his quick release. 'We'll return home only with Gilad,' says captive's mother Aviva. Police estimate 10,000 people taking part in march
According to Israel, Hamas' insistence on this issue is delaying a prisoner exchange deal that would see IDF soldier Gilad Shalit returned to Israel in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's associates said Saturday evening that the protest march aimed at pressuring the government to work to release Shalit was a legitimate move, the security establishment presented the following data to the forum of seven senior ministers:
In March 2009, after the Olmert government and Hamas were at odds over 125 names on the list of Palestinian prisoners the Islamist group demanded in exchange for Shalit, Hamas submitted an alternative list.
In December 2009 Netanyahu's government agreed to release more than 100 prisoners from the new list, despite the fact that they were involved in the murder of 800 Israelis. According to Israel, Hamas has yet to reply to the offer. The dispute revolves largely around Hamas' demand that the prisoners be allowed to return to the West Bank. The security establishment has determined that their return to the region would jeopardize Israel's security.
According to the data, 38% of the Fatah members who were released in the framework of the Jibril Agreement resumed their terror-related activity in the West Bank, as did 63% of Hamas terrorists and 67% of Islamic Jihad gunmen who were included in the deal.
It was further revealed that over the past six years Palestinians who were released as part of the deal for Elhanan Tannenbaum have been involved in terror attacks that have killed 27 Israelis, including the suicide bombing at Tel Aviv's Stage Club in 2005 and the terror attack in Netanya's Sharon Mall, also in 2005.
The Netanyahu government has determined that it would not release terrorists who were involved in the murder of more than 10 Israelis or terrorists who were involved in a number of specific terror attacks, including the Dolphinarium discotheque suicide bombing in Tel Aviv and the bombings in Jerusalem's Sbarro pizzeria, Cafe Hillel and Cafe Moment.
"Israel is not willing to free these people," Netanyahu said during a meeting of the forum of seven ministers.
Israel has also informed the German mediator it would not release Ahmed Saadat, who was involved in the assassination of Minister Rehavam Ze'evi in 2001, or Marwan Barghouti, the former Tanzim leader who was convicted of involvement in five terror attacks.
The German mediator relayed Israel's conditions to Hamas, but has yet to receive an answer.
