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5 more prisoners to be freed in last part of swap By Barak Ravid The cabinet is set to approve the release of five Palestinian prisoners today as part of the final stage of a prisoner swap with Hezbollah. Last month, Israel released five Lebanese prisoners, included notorious terrorist Samir Kuntar, in exchange for the bodies of Israel Defense Forces reservists Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, who were abducted by Hezbollah in a cross-border raid in July 2006. Advertisement Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is expected to present the cabinet with a document authorizing the ministerial panel charged with prisoner affairs to select the five Palestinians it wishes to release within the framework of the deal. A source in Jerusalem said that they will be comprised of security prisoners without "blood on their hands," a category generally used to describe prisoners who were involved in fatal terror attacks against Israelis. The source added that the prime minister decided to release only five prisoners due to the unsatisfactory nature of Hezbollah's report on its efforts to determine the fate of missing Israel Air Force navigator Ron Arad, who disappeared after his plane was shot down over Lebanon in 1986. The report, part of the prisoner exchange deal, did not include any new information and was widely considered not to have met the deal's terms. During a meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Paris last month, Olmert announced that in light of the unsatisfactory report, Israel will only release a handful of prisoners, and will retain the sole right to determine their identities. Thereafter, Olmert told Ban, Israel will consider the prisoner swap as having been completed. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Facing off in Gaza Bitter infighting in Gaza may bode ill for Israel's truce with Hamas. Syria's frequent flyer Assad went to Iran to explain rather than excuse peace talks with Israel.

Read & React Ahmadinejad: Iran won't retreat one iota from its nuclear rights Responses: 141 Editorial: Nasrallah, Siniora playing with fire in their war talk toward Israel Responses: 104 Rights group to court: Don't send Fatah refugees back to Gaza Responses: 138 Gideon Levy: Israel's legal system has laid the groundwork for an apartheid regime Responses: 87 Top IDF officer: Gaza was never close to a humanitarian crisis Responses: 36 More Headlines 00:40 Netanyahu: Kadima is selling Jerusalem to our enemies 01:06 Rights group to court: Don't send Fatah refugees back to Gaza 23:21 Palestinian official: Israel frees prominent jailed Hamas figure 21:25 Border Policeman arrested over Palestinian boy's death in Na'alin 21:09 Ahmadinejad: Diplomacy only way out of nuclear standoff 17:36 Israel to free 5 Palestinians in final stage of Hezbollah swap 17:49 Palestinians: Number of West Bank settlers jumped nearly 4% in 2007 22:26 Holocaust survivor and rescuer live like sisters in Warsaw 18:38 Vice Premier Ramon testifies to State Comptroller on wiretap case 20:00 Yitzhar teen arrested for allegedly attacking Palestinian family 23:06 Toddler found at airport after parents board Paris flight without her 01:35 Gov't okays first round of bill to collect every citizen's photo and fingerprint 16:18 Bound, stabbed Be'er Sheva man: They tried to kill me for 100 shekels 19:40 Report: Britney Spear's new love is an Israeli ex-soldier Previous Editions Select Day 03 aug 01 aug 31 jul 30 jul 29 jul 28 jul 27 jul 25 jul 24 jul 23 jul 22 jul 21 jul

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