Hamas leader accuses Israel of undermining talks
Source familiar with prisoner exchange talks says Israel's refusal to release top Hamas prisoners Ibrahim Hamed, Abdallah Barghouti delaying agreement. Senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya: Zionist entity fully responsible for failure of efforts to finalize deal for Shalit's release
Israel has rejected a demand for the release of two Hamas commanders as part of any exchange for a captured Israeli soldier, a source close to negotiations said on Wednesday, signaling talks had hit a snag.
"Hamas still insists on its demands," the source, who declined to be named, told Reuters, naming the two top Hamas prisoners as Ibrahim Hamed and Abdallah Barghouti.
Hamas sources told Ynet Wednesday that the Islamist group's leaders rejected the prisoner exchange draft agreement, as it was presented to them in Cairo.
An Israeli official said: "We're not willing to discuss publicly at this stage the names of the people who might or might not be in a swap."
Hamas negotiators who have been consulting their exiled leadership in Damascus would return on Wednesday evening to Egypt, which together with Germany has been mediating the indirect talks between the enemies.
Senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya was quoted by a pro-Hamas website as saying Israel was responsible for undermining a deal because it had not agreed to the demands of the Palestinian factions holding captured soldier Gilad Shalit.
"Therefore, we hold the Zionist entity fully responsible for the failure of the efforts to finalize a deal for Shalit's release," he said.
Hamas sources said the group is continuing to insist that any agreement include the release of Arab-Israelis and Arab residents of east Jerusalem, as well as other "senior" prisoners Hamas says Israel is refusing to release.
The Palestinian factions hope to exchange Shalit, held since 2006, for hundreds of prisoners held by Israel.
Abdallah Barghouti is serving 67 life terms for his role in attacks on Israelis. Hamed was head of Hamas armed wing in the West Bank before his arrest.
Earlier Wednesday, Hamas sources told Arab media that the next 24 hours will be critical in terms of the prisoner exchange deal with Israel. The organization's leaders, who left Cairo on Tuesday evening, are meeting in the offices of Hamas' political bureau in Damascus to decide whether to accept Jerusalem's latest offer.
According to one of the sources, who spoke to London-based Arabic-language al-Hayat newspaper, the organization's leaders – including those who arrived from Gaza - are at odds over the issue. Some believe Hamas should insist on releasing every single prisoner on the list handed over to Israel, while others hold a more pragmatic approach and understand that not everything can be achieved in the negotiations.
Israel has long balked at granting amnesty to Palestinians jailed for attacks that killed its citizens. While signaling flexibility in its bid to recover Shalit, the Israeli government is wary of a domestic backlash over a deal that bolsters Hamas.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday an agreement had not been reached and might not happen following speculation that one could be reached by the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday on Friday.
Hamas and Israel have traded blame over media leaks predicting an imminent deal, with each accusing the other of trying to engineer public pressure for speedier negotiations.
Barghouti to be released?
Officials close to the talks said on Monday that Israel had dropped its objections to some 160 prisoners that Hamas wants included on the release roster.
Hamas has long stated that jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti is among the prisoners it wants released by Israel. Seen as a potential successor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Barghouti was sentenced in 2004 to five life terms. "We are confident that Marwan will be in the deal," Khader Shkirat, one of his lawyers, told Reuters. Shkirat said he had visited Barghouti on Wednesday. Israeli Vice Premier Silvan Shalom said on Monday that Barghouti would not be swapped.
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said he hoped Barghouti would be released. "It's certainly our hope and expectation that he will be on the list," he said.
Shalit was seized by Hamas-led gunmen in a 2006 raid across the Gaza border, and his return is a cause celebre in Israel.
Prisoner releases are no less emotive for Palestinians, who see their nearly 11,000 jailed brethren as heroes of a struggle to found an independent state in Israeli-occupied land or - in Hamas' case - of an open-ended conflict with the Jewish state.
