Last update - 00:00 20/01/2007
Brother of Samir Kuntar: U.S. is hindering a prisoner exchange
By Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondent
Bassam Kuntar, the brother of jailed Lebanese terrorist Samir Kuntar, said he suspects that a potential prisoner exchange is being held up because the U.S. is pushing for the release of Gilad Shalit to be separate from any deal with Hezbollah.
Samir Kuntar is currently serving four life sentences in an Israeli prison for the 1979 murder of four Israelis.
In an interview published Saturday in the Israeli biweekly Arabic magazine A-Sinara, said "Our fear is that any future Israel - Hezbollah prisoner exchange will fail not because the two sides don't want to come to an agreement, but because of conflicts with American interests," Kuntar said.
According to Kuntar, there is a great fear among families of Lebanese imprisoned in Israel that U.S. Assistant Secretary of State David Welch is the force behind any prisoner exchange.
"In our opinion, Welch and the U.S. government are directing this issue according to their own interests. Our feeling is that the government is interested in achieving the release of Gilad Shalit separate from any other deal with Hezbollah," Kuntar said, adding that the U.S. is motivated by a desire to avoid the domestic political boost that a prisoner exchange with Hezbollah would give the organization.
Kuntar stated that the Lebanese families are paying close attention to the methods and statements of the families of Israeli soldiers held in Lebanon." We understand and feel the pain of the families in Israel, who are experiencing a situation we have been living in for 30 years. Previous experiences aren't very encouraging and the foot-dragging of Israeli decision makers on the issue of Israeli Navigator Ron Arad is a good example of this. We are already used to waiting long years, the question is if Israeli families are willing to wait years as well," Kumar stated.
Kuntar added that the families in Lebanon do not have all of the information on negotiations for the prisoners, but they are certain that no information on the status of Israeli soldiers held in Lebanon will come without a price.