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Comments:  42
Jerusalem official: Hamas ups ante in Shalit deal
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: prisoners, Israel 

Hamas recently jacked up the number of Palestinian prisoners it wants Israel to release in exchange for kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, from 1,000 to 1,500, a senior government source said.

At a meeting with senior cabinet ministers on Wednesday, both Shin Bet security service chief Yuval Diskin and Ofer Dekel, who was appointed by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to oversee the negotiations, blamed the sudden increase in Hamas' demands on Israel's agreement to a cease-fire with the organization in the Gaza Strip.

Last month's deal with Hezbollah, in which Israel freed terrorist Samir Kuntar and four other Lebanese in exchange for the bodies of two kidnapped soldiers, also hardened Hamas' stance, defense officials said.
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A ministerial committee headed by Vice Premier Haim Ramon is slated to discuss the Shalit deal on Sunday, and Olmert has asked it to draft a list of 450 prisoners that Israel would be willing to release in exchange for the soldier. This would be the first time Israel has prepared such a list. Until now, it has merely approved or rejected the names submitted by Hamas.

The Wednesday meeting was attended by Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and senior defense officials. Barak reported on his trip to Cairo the day before, during which he discussed the Shalit deal with Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak and intelligence chief Omar Suleiman.

According to the government source, Egypt told Barak that Hamas is currently demanding 1,500 prisoners in exchange for Shalit.

Initially, the organization had demanded the release of 450 prisoners, and submitted a list of the specific prisoners it wanted. A few months ago, it raised its demands to 1,000, with the initial 450 to be freed simultaneously with Shalit and the remainder in stages thereafter. It has now upped its demands again.

Both Diskin and Dekel told the ministers that the cease-fire hardened Hamas' stance by eliminating the pressure Israel had been exerting via both military operations and an economic blockade. As a result, Hamas no longers feels any urgency about concluding a deal, they said.

They therefore argued that the only way to conclude the deal was to go back to exerting pressure, even if this endangers the truce. Dekel suggested halting all fuel supplies to Gaza or closing the border crossings that were reopened under the truce.

Barak, in contrast, said Israel had to demonstrate a willingness to move toward Hamas' demands. "We embarked on the truce for Gilad Shalit's sake, and we need to utilize this period to achieve progress in the negotiations," he said. "If we demonstrate more willingness, it could be that Hamas will demonstrate more willingness."

The list the ministerial committee is expected to draft on Sunday will include the 70 prisoners requested by Hamas whose release Israel has already approved, plus an unspecified number of others on Hamas' list whose release is expected to be approved once the cabinet adopts new, more lenient criteria. The remainder will be Israel's choice. Once completed, Israel will ask Egypt to pass the list on to Hamas.

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    World War III
    A top Iranian general says an attack on Tehran would ignite a 'world war'.
    Raising the price
    Hamas says won't compromise, Israel must free 1,000 prisoners for Shalit.
      1.   Free them all 03:38  |  alan the real one 29/08/08
      2.   Time for an ultimatum 03:50  |  Free Gilad Shalit 29/08/08
      3.   Guess No Deal, Let The New Israel Government Make A Decision 03:58  |  Shepherd 29/08/08
      4.   Hamas,you should have asked for the release of all Palestinian 05:23  |  lakshmi 29/08/08
      5.   why would they not up the ante;they`ve seen mert gift giving... 05:59  |  glenna 29/08/08
      6.   why is hamas the only one making demands 07:07  |  vik 29/08/08
      7.   Liberating Gilead Shalit. 07:22  |  Jean Van Daem 29/08/08
      8.   Dekel, Israeli war criminal, is pretty dumb 09:49  |  Clickfool 29/08/08
      9.   The sound of drooling is heard in Metula # 7 09:52  |  Clickfool 29/08/08
      10.   End these hostage operas once and for all: GO SAUDI PLAN!!! 11:06  |  Ivar 29/08/08
      11.   #1 (the real alan) has a point! 11:28  |  S 29/08/08
      12.   one for one 11:31  |  observer 29/08/08
      13.   We won`t be fools Ivar 11:50  |  Michael 29/08/08
      14.   This can end only one way 11:50  |  Michael 29/08/08
      15.   To No 2 "Time for an ultimatum" 12:34  |  Ana 29/08/08
      16.   Are they dim? 12:46  |  Natallie Durson 29/08/08
      17.   Reliable negotiating fantasy 12:51  |  allang 29/08/08
      18.   Jerusalem official 12:58  |  Ralph 29/08/08
      19.   Three choices 13:04  |  Jim 29/08/08
      20.   #7 Jean Van Daem 13:28  |  Jim 29/08/08
      21.   Broken promises to the Israeli people 13:55  |  Chris Linthwaite 29/08/08
      22.   Take control 14:13  |  X-MILTARY 29/08/08
      23.   Ana 14:14  |  Free Gilad Shalit 29/08/08
      24.   Ivar, #10 14:17  |  Michael 29/08/08
      25.   Extortionate demands will never stop 15:29  |  * BEN JABO 29/08/08
      26.   #16 Dim Dursdumb 15:37  |  ari 29/08/08
      27.   First get Gilad Shalit home and later play by the ear 16:34  |  H.H.M. 29/08/08
      28.   FREEDOM TO PALESTINIANS ! 16:42  |  Historian 29/08/08
      29.   Obviously Hamas will up the ante...the reason 19:34  |  Stephen 29/08/08
      30.   #28 Stephen of Geneva....that will go as well 21:40  |  Lynn 29/08/08
      31.   #22 X-military 23:42  |  Jim 29/08/08
      32.   hammas up ante in Shalit deal 23:46  |  M.Gerald fried 29/08/08
      33.   #25 Ben Jabo No nothing for Gaza??? 00:07  |  Jim 30/08/08
      34.   #26 ari 00:16  |  Jim 30/08/08
      35.   #31 M. Gerald fried 00:46  |  Jim 30/08/08
      36.   28. Lynn. I believe that is not true. 01:08  |  Stephen 30/08/08
      37.   # 30 JIM 02:05  |  X-MILITARY 30/08/08
      38.   Ben Jabo 25 I wholeheartedly agree with you 02:28  |  Free Gilad Shalit 30/08/08
      39.   Kadima in a maze 04:26  |  Connie 30/08/08
      40.   chris linthwaite 04:30  |  Connie 30/08/08
      41.   #38 Free Gilad Shalit 06:02  |  * BEN JABO 30/08/08
      42.   Israel IS Calling the Shots 10:47  |  Mark of Lewiston 30/08/08
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