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Abducted Israel Defense Forces Gilad Shalit. (Archive)
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Last update - 00:00 18/02/2008
Report: Progress made in deal to free abducted soldier Shalit
By Haaretz Service
Tags: Israel, prisoner exchange 

Israel and Hamas have agreed on the identities of 230 Palestinian prisoners, currently being held in Israeli prisons, to be released in exchange for the freedom of Gilad Shalit, who was abducted by Palestinian militants in June 2006, Army Radio reported Monday.

According to the report, the two sides still disagree on the remaining 120 prisoners that Hamas demands be released in the first stage of the prisoner exchange deal, but Israel refuses to free.

The breakthrough in the negotiations came after Israel decided to "loosen" the definition of "blood on their hands" - a euphemism used in Israel to describe Palestinians who were involved in murdering Israelis. The term is often used to justify Israel's refusal to release a given prisoner.
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Prior to the loosening of the "blood on their hands" criteria, decided upon by a special ministerial committee, Israel agreed to release only 44 of the prisoners on Hamas' list.

Meanwhile Monday, Gilad Shalit's father Noam expressed his lack of hope in an interview with Arabic language Nazareth radio station A-Shams, saying "as far as I know, the finalization of a deal is still far off."

On Sunday, speaking in Jerusalem to a gathering of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that he does "not share in the optimism" regarding recent media reports of Shalit's imminent release.

Regarding the two IDF reservists, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, who were kidnapped by Hezbollah in July 2006, Olmert said that, "So long as there is no evidence in our hands [of their death], we will continue to operate under the basic assumption that they are alive." Olmert spoke one day after the German political magazine Der Spiegel reported that the prime minister was planning to officially declare the two missing reservists as dead.

Noam Shalit responded to the prime minister's speech saying that "I didn't expect anything of this speech, and therefore I can't say that I'm disappointed."

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      1.   NEGOTIATION W/ THUG TERORISTS ENSURES MORE TERROR!!!!! 08:53  |  Ben Uziel 18/02/08
      2.   Have you noticed 10:24  |  Paul Wood 18/02/08
      3.   Have you noticed 10:24  |  Paul Wood 18/02/08
      4.   hamas should take this offer bc olmert won`t give more & 10:29  |  Michelle 18/02/08
      5.   value of a Jew 10:33  |  Natallie Durson 18/02/08
      6.   Shalit Prisoner Swap Deal 10:42  |  JordanisPalestine 18/02/08
      7.   Shalit Prisoner Swap Deal 10:44  |  JordanisPalestine 18/02/08
      8.   Shalit Prisoner Swap Deal 10:44  |  JordanisPalestine 18/02/08
      9.   #3 wood by name and nature no one ever deals with kidnappers 10:45  |  v hardman 18/02/08
      10.   swap deal 10:49  |  Ralph 18/02/08
      11.   Not the only Israeli casualty 10:54  |  Steve 18/02/08
      12.   #2 11:05  |  Faires 18/02/08
      13.   Current proposals like the Road Map are totally unworkable and sh 11:22  |  Jean Van Daem 18/02/08
      14.   if it was my son 11:24  |  Natallie Durson 18/02/08
      15.   Stupid to Negotiate 11:39  |  Efox 18/02/08
      16.   #2 Slavo 11:41  |  Paul Wood 18/02/08
      17.   qqqqqqqqq 12:09  |  qqqqqqqqq 18/02/08
      18.   Israel should stop behaving like Santa Claus 12:14  |  The Archives 18/02/08
      19.   Israel should stop behaving like Santa Claus 12:19  |  The Archives 18/02/08
      20.   Value of a human being 12:34  |  Serge 18/02/08
      21.   Are Israel`s politicians degenerating? 12:37  |  The Archives 18/02/08
      22.   ARAB "deal".Hundreds for one.!! But they will be more straight 13:04  |  PETER SM 18/02/08
      23.   Please G-D 13:23  |  Nicole 18/02/08
      24.   NICOLE AMEN Ken Yehi Ratzon 13:35  |  PETER SM 18/02/08
      25.   The western hum.aid should also be given on blackmail 15:00  |  AliciaYasmeen 18/02/08
      26.   Chickenshit Leaders of this country 15:32  |  B`Galil 18/02/08
      27.   How about this deal 16:10  |  Avi 18/02/08
      28.   Who is the Dope Fiend in the PIcture at the Top of the Page??? 16:13  |  POPO 18/02/08
      29.   Zoloft for the masses 16:24  |  Gideon Reader 18/02/08
      30.   #29 POPO u putz -the fiend is the guy who wrote #29 16:57  |  * BEN JABO 18/02/08
      31.   abducted soldier 20:12  |  Robert 18/02/08
      32.   Nastalie Durson 20:20  |  Connie 18/02/08
      33.   Muslim Mentality Strikes Again.... 21:31  |  Maria 18/02/08
      34.   dirtbag arabs, no racisim here.......... 22:41  |  yuval 18/02/08
      35.   #3Paul you absolutely correct,for 21 months every time Ehud faces 22:43  |  Haham me Bat Yam 18/02/08
      36.   Natalie Durson 22:44  |  yuval 18/02/08
      37.   kidnappings: good or bad? 22:50  |  yuval 18/02/08
      38.   shalom, qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq 00:01  |  akiva (zionist) 19/02/08
      39.   AliciaYasmeen @#25 00:11  |  akiva (zionist) 19/02/08
      40.   Do not release Hamas terrorists as it will only encourage more 00:47  |  Marwan مروان خوري 19/02/08
      41.   negot w/ terror 03:25  |  Michael Jinckley 19/02/08
      42.   Durson #5 03:48  |  Sabra 19/02/08
      43.   Durson 14 03:51  |  Sabra 19/02/08
      44.   Need we NOT be ever RUTHLESS??? 03:51  |  akiva (zionist) 19/02/08
      45.   Olmert - Shalit, Regev and Goldwasser 06:18  |  Mark Lincoln 19/02/08
      46.   #19 You right to ask the question on exchange ratio for Shalit 22:48  |  Max Zinger P.Chimist 19/02/08
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