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A previously unseen picture of missing IAF airman Ron Arad. (Channel 10)
Last update - 07:22 14/07/2008
Ron Arad's family gets photos of missing IAF navigator
By Haaretz Service and The Associated Press
Tags: IDF, Hezbollah, Lebanon 

The family of Ron Arad received late on Saturday two previously unseen photographs of the missing Israel Air Force navigator as well as sections from his diary. Channel 10 aired the pictures for the first time on Sunday.

Arad, who was captured when his plane was shot down over Lebanon in 1986, is seen in one of the pictures wearing pajamas and appears to be wounded in his left shoulder. The photograph seems to have been taken in 1987.

Some of the diary fragments are dated from 1987, although they are not sequential, and it is likely that there are more sections still in Lebanon's possession, according to Channel 10.
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The photos and sections of Arad's diary were transferred to the family within the framework of the upcoming prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hezbollah, which is set to take place on Wednesday.

On Saturday, Israel received a report from the Lebanon-based guerilla organization on the missing Israel Air Force navigator that could pave the way for the prisoner swap between the sides, officials said.

Security sources said that the report, which was brought to Israel by the German mediator Gerhard Konrad, does not address two major issues: the fate of Arad, whom Hezbollah believe is dead, and why his body has not been found.

The Cabinet is expected to discuss the report on Tuesday.

Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because the material has not been made public, said the diary and the pictures had only sentimental value and did not shed light on Arad's fate. The Hezbollah report offered some new lines of inquiry but no definite information, they said.

Israel to free Kuntar, 4 Lebanese fighters Wed. in Hezbollah swap

Meanwhile, Israel on Sunday said it will release jailed Lebanese terrorist Samir Kuntar and four imprisoned Lebanese fighters on Wednesday in exchange for two Israel Defense Forces soldiers abducted by Hezbollah in 2006.

The Israel Prison Service on Sunday afternoon released the names of the men set to be returned to Lebanon. In addition to Kuntar, they are: Khaled Zidan, Maher Kurani, Mohammed Sarur and Hussein Suleiman.

Kuntar was convicted in 1979 for killing four Israelis in a 1979 terror attack in Nahariya.

Hezbollah guerillas kidnapped IDF soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev in 2006, in a cross-border raid that sparked the Second Lebanon War.

The guerilla organization has given no word on the soldiers' condition, although they are widely presumed dead.

The exchange is set to take place at the Rosh Hanikra Lebanon-Israel border crossing. Within the framework of the swap, Israel will also hand over the bodies of some 200 Arabs killed while infiltrating northern Israel.

The Israel Prison Service's publication of the prisoners' names was carried out in accordance with the government decision of June 29, which approved the outline of the deal with Hezbollah.

The release of the Lebanese prisoners' names at this stage is believed to enable the submission of petitions against their release within the next 48 hours.

Related articles:
  • Goldwasser family thanks supporters, wearily eyes 'finish line'
  • Hezbollah: Second Lebanon War was biggest Israeli defeat ever
  • Israel signs swap deal, begins exhuming bodies of Hezbollah guerillas
    • Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
    Hezbollah's pleasure
    For Israelis, the release of Kuntar is a form of self-inflicted torture.
    Exchange timeline
    How the prisoner exchange with Hezbollah will be carried out.
      1.   bashar 16:56  |  u.s. 13/07/08
      2.   Olmert 17:06  |  Ralph 13/07/08
      3.   Prisoner swap 17:08  |  Miriam 13/07/08
      4.   I thought Israel didn`t negotiate with Terrorists? Hypocrites...! 17:14  |  POP 13/07/08
      5.   Kuntar 17:21  |  John Doe 13/07/08
      6.   JEWISH BLOOD, CHEAPENED BY OUR `JEWISH LEADERS` 17:42  |  David P 13/07/08
      7.   Kuntar`s Worst Nightmare 17:52  |  Bill Foonman 13/07/08
      8.   Hey Olmert 17:54  |  Steve 13/07/08
      9.   THERE IS NO PROOF #3 18:12  |  JOJO 13/07/08
      10.   #3 18:18  |  DesMnsDave 13/07/08
      11.   Stop the suffering 18:27  |  Jared 13/07/08
      12.   ridiculous 18:35  |  paulo2005 13/07/08
      13.   Miriam from NY, you are clueless 18:46  |  Dan 13/07/08
      14.   How awful for Arad`s family 19:11  |  Slappy 13/07/08
      15.   parts of Southern Lebanon is Palestine, but French occupied it 19:15  |  z 13/07/08
      16.   Miriam: selective memory about history? 19:18  |  Richard S 13/07/08
      17.   Ron Arad 19:20  |  irvine polakow 13/07/08
      18.   Ron Arad 19:27  |  Dr I Polakow 13/07/08
      19.   to #5, you are totaly wrong 19:31  |  moody 13/07/08
      20.   #3, wake up 19:45  |  Jared 13/07/08
      21.   #11 who`s talking about a selective memory? 20:00  |  Beiruti 13/07/08
      22.   GIVE BACK ARAB LIVE MURDERERS WHILE THEY TORTURED AND TERRORIZED 20:09  |  glenna 13/07/08
      23.   a message from a muslim 20:19  |  musa 13/07/08
      24.   Richard, Selective Memory? I call it (HID) Hate Induced Dimentia 20:51  |  Dan 13/07/08
      25.   Moody, are you in bad mood? 20:59  |  Dan 13/07/08
      26.   Murder ????? 21:01  |  A Naive woman 13/07/08
      27.   Israel, in conjunction with militia allies were first 21:13  |  Natallie Durson 13/07/08
      28.   Ron must have converted to Islam, don`t like Israel anymore!!! 21:15  |  Yaska 13/07/08
      29.   Beiruti, you are the one who`s talking about a selective memory 21:19  |  Dan 13/07/08
      30.   Dan you suffer from (SIA)self induced acceptance 21:20  |  tea man 13/07/08
      31.   Murdered in captivity 21:24  |  Free Gilad Shalit 13/07/08
      32.   Jared and the rest 21:36  |  Reid 13/07/08
      33.   Freed TERRORISTS Coming SOON to your City, Your Shopping Mall 21:38  |  Linda Rivera 13/07/08
      34.   Ridiculous Dan 21:46  |  Beiruti 13/07/08
      35.   POW exhcange 21:46  |  Rafael Wischkin 13/07/08
      36.   Moody #21: see my above point for selective memory 22:08  |  Richard S 13/07/08
      37.   DIDN"T all Hesballa heroes fight to the death & never surrender 22:16  |  PETER SM 13/07/08
      38.   BEIRUTI blame shifting1Israeli Lebanon border was quiet till you 22:28  |  PETER SM 13/07/08
      39.   #4 Boy are you stupid POP 22:37  |  Conroy 13/07/08
      40.   Natallie 22:42  |  Wally 13/07/08
      41.   #21 Beruiti the Israeli invasion of Lebanon was totally justified 22:48  |  Conroy 13/07/08
      42.   #23 Musa, thanks! 22:49  |  fiona 13/07/08
      43.   Bieruti please explain 23:12  |  Fahim 13/07/08
      44.   Beiruti when you live in a free, democratic state we`ll talk 23:31  |  Dan 13/07/08
      45.   #34 Beiruti you need lessons in what democracy is 23:31  |  Conroy 13/07/08
      46.   he looks nearly dead 23:48  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 13/07/08
      47.   Arad in Iran 23:53  |  Gregor 13/07/08
      48.   kuntar 00:46  |  Yankel 14/07/08
      49.   musa & fiona 00:55  |  bashar 14/07/08
      50.   #20 WRONG, Jared! Israel wanted Lebanon to control S. Lebanon 00:55  |  DesMnsDave 14/07/08
      51.   Worthless information 07:24  |  Ilan 14/07/08
      52.   kuntar 07:43  |  Betari 14/07/08
      53.   ISrael few friends lol 09:26  |  justice 14/07/08
      54.   Ron Arad 11:14  |  Dan 14/07/08
      55.   #53, justice.. 05:36  |  Silvienne 15/07/08
      56.   #46, Cipora... 05:39  |  Silvienne 15/07/08
      57.   From a lebanese man 09:11  |  Zahi 15/07/08
      58.   Jared the Liar 10:32  |  Yakov 15/07/08
      59.   Conroy, Yakov and Dave... 11:42  |  FreeOne 15/07/08
      60.   i agree 100% 17:20  |  yishai 15/07/08
      61.   Memory, Democracy and Absolute Hypocracy 1 17:25  |  Tony 15/07/08
      62.   Memory, Democracy and Absolute Hypocracy 2 17:42  |  Tony 15/07/08
      63.   #59 Funny, I don`t recall a Jew being elected in an Arab country 18:56  |  DesMnsDave 15/07/08