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Last update - 18:52 08/02/2009
Noam Shalit: Hard to believe there is a deal on Gilad
By Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondents and Reuters
Tags: Gaza, Gilad Shalit, IDF 

Noam Shalit, the father of abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, on Saturday expressed his doubts that a deal to secure his son's release is close to being reached, a day after a Turkish TV channel reported that such a deal could be signed by Tuesday.

Shalit told Haaretz Saturday, "It's hard for me to believe there is a comprehensive deal, but I hope there is. I would be very happy."

Shalit added that he has not received any new information pertaining to the whereabouts or well-being of Gilad, and expressed doubt that at this point a truce deal with Hamas is viable, especially if it would require Israel agreeing to Hamas prisoner release demands.
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Turkish news channel CNN Turk reported on Friday that a deal to secure the release of abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit may be reached by Tuesday.

Turkish news channel CNN Turk reported Friday that Turkish officials were currently holding talks on the issue with Hamas officials in Damascus, the base of the Islamist militant group's political leadership.

Reuters Friday quoted a Palestinian official as saying that Turkey and Qatar have taken a lead role in the negotiations over Shalit in recent months.

The CNN Turk report came after Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Friday said that Israel's leadership was making "supreme" efforts to bring Shalit back home.

"Supreme efforts are being made in order to hurry the moment when Gilad Shalit will come home," Barak told Channel 1. "We know that he is well, alive, breathing and okay, but we need to bring him here from there."

Shalit was kidnapped by Gaza militants in a 2006 cross-border raid. The defense minister's comments on his health came after Hamas officials hinted that the kidnapped soldier may have been wounded during Israel's 22-day offensive against the Islamist militant group last month.

"You know that I am a fierce critic of the prime minister," Barak added, "but in these matters, in these days, he is making a great effort, as am I, as is the IDF Chief of Staff, and the head of the Shin Bet in order to expedite the process."

The defense minister, who is Labor's prime ministerial candidate, also warned that freeing Shalit would demand painful decisions. He later told Channel 1 that he could say no more on the subject, since this would cause harm.

Hamas denies report of progress in Shalit talks

Despite the Turkish report and Barak's comments, a Hamas official involved in the negotiations said Friday that indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas over a prisoner swap for Shalit have shown little progress.

Osama al-Muzaini said any claims by Israel that progress had been made in the talks were "election-motivated".

"There has been no progress in the [Shalit] file for several months and that is because [Israel] remained unwilling to pay the price," Muzaini told Reuters.

Hamas has demanded the release of 1,400 prisoners including 450 long-serving inmates in exchange for the kidnapped soldier.

Muzaini said Israel had only agreed to 71 names from the list of 450 long-serving prisoners Hamas had proposed more than a year ago.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, meanwhile, has been making great efforts in recent weeks to clinch a deal with Hamas for the release of Gilad Shalit, and recently said privately that he is determined to try to bring Shalit home before he leaves office.

People who have spoken to him told Haaretz that Olmert wants to "clear his desk" before the end of his term by resolving the Shalit case.

Sources: Significant progress in Gaza truce talks

Barak's comments regarding the efforts to free Shalit came shortly after Israeli and Palestinian sources said that there had been significant progress in Egyptian-brokered negotiations for a truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

The draft agreement has apparently yet to be approved by Hamas' leadership in Damascus. The head of the Defense Ministry's Diplomatic-Security Bureau, Maj.-Gen. (res) Amos Gilad, is expected to travel again to Cairo in the coming days in order to advance the talks.

Since Israel ended its campaign against Hamas in Gaza two weeks ago, the sides have kept to a shaky cease-fire that has been punctuated by intermittent fighting.

But on Thursday Gilad returned from discussions with the heads of Egypt's intelligence community in Cairo, bearing the draft formula for a truce between Israel and the Islamist militant group.

According to the sources, the agreement will include the full opening of Gaza's border crossings with Israel and Egypt.

The deal is also said to stipulate the presence of Palestinian Authority security officials at the Rafah Gaza-Egypt crossing. The forces would be loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement, a bitter rival of Hamas. According to the formula, the truce will hold for 18 months with the option of an extension for further 18 months.

Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas' leader in Gaza, is pressing for the deal to go ahead. As such, the main stumbling block is expected to be the Islamist group's Damascus-based political leader, Khaled Meshal, who has more extreme demands on the nature of the truce.


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      1.   What "PROGRESS". Terrorists in GAZA should stop their activity. 18:39  |  Vittorio 06/02/09
      2.   A fire sale!And next week the new goverment will reject the plan! 18:48  |  martin knopfman 06/02/09
      3.   WHAT ABOUT SHHALIT? 18:53  |  Israeli Public 06/02/09
      4.   What about Gilad Shalit 18:54  |  Angel 06/02/09
      5.   Hamas Needs Meshal Sign Off 18:58  |  Mark of Lewiston 06/02/09
      6.   I hope this works out... 19:00  |  Basil 06/02/09
      7.   Agreement on Tuesday 2/10? Coincidentally it`s election day? 23:07  |  laughing out loud 06/02/09
      8.   @Vittorio: you can qualify them as you like 23:25  |  hamid 06/02/09
      9.   BRING GILAD HOME 23:34  |  Rich 06/02/09
      10.   Shalit Deal 23:37  |  Rob 06/02/09
      11.   Palestinian 23:40  |  k 06/02/09
      12.   Who will bring back 300 children... 00:04  |  Murat 07/02/09
      13.   murat 01:07  |  real vision 07/02/09
      14.   548 Palestinians in Israeli Administrative Detention... 01:26  |  Maureen Ann 07/02/09
      15.   Who will bring back 300 children... 01:53  |  Jasper 07/02/09
      16.   To: Murat in New York 02:38  |  Angel 07/02/09
      17.   Murat - Ask Hamas to bring them back 03:19  |  *BEN JABO 07/02/09
      18.   I`ll believe it when I see it 03:21  |  *BEN JABO 07/02/09
      19.   What Israel can`t do, Turkey will do it better. 03:28  |  Alev Yael 07/02/09
      20.   I hope I have to change my nick very soon 03:45  |  Free Gilad Shalit 07/02/09
      21.   Shalit and a sign of life 03:57  |  allang 07/02/09
      22.   A deal for Shalit 04:39  |  Bill 07/02/09
      23.   Mark of Lewiston # 5 That`s Only The Half Of It 04:52  |  Jeff Northridge 07/02/09
      24.   to # 4 06:38  |  David 07/02/09
      25.   Dont forget Jonotan Polard as well 06:58  |  like it is 07/02/09
      26.   to like it is 07:55  |  rm 07/02/09
      27.   to David #14 08:20  |  Anat B. 07/02/09
      28.   Shalit 08:48  |  Gili 07/02/09
      29.   Shalit 08:49  |  Brian 07/02/09
      30.   Who will approve the release of thousands of prisoners? 08:49  |  martin knopfman 07/02/09
      31.   NO WAY, MAN 09:10  |  indrajaya 07/02/09
      32.   go back to sleep barak;only at election time would you have 09:29  |  glenna 07/02/09
      33.   to DAVID, 10:05  |  Bulent 07/02/09
      34.   Who will bring back Rachel Corrie!!! 10:10  |  Bulent 07/02/09
      35.   If true then WELL DONE TURKEY!! Egypt must be fuming that after 10:20  |  JustMe 07/02/09
      36.   For #14 Angel from NY 11:48  |  Okan 07/02/09
      37.   # 11 Murat Hamas must do it 11:50  |  CM 07/02/09
      38.   hamas which is coming from israel 11:51  |  dido 07/02/09
      39.   A political stunt by Livni and Barak. They hope people will 12:46  |  martin knopfman 07/02/09
      40.   iranian mollah fearing bibi 13:32  |  gil 07/02/09
      41.   Okan Part 2 14:58  |  Aby 07/02/09
      42.   Kadima will allow cement in to build rockets 16:03  |  david 07/02/09
      43.   Bulent #34 17:27  |  David israel 07/02/09
      44.   Shalit "catalyst for peace" 20:10  |  sam 07/02/09
      45.   Tuesday of which YEAR? 20:11  |  Avi 07/02/09
      46.   Okan from Istanbul 20:27  |  David Israel 07/02/09
      47.   Okan from Istanbul I can see that you rad Cengiz Candar today 21:02  |  David Israel 07/02/09
      48.   You can not trust them 21:07  |  Gordon 07/02/09
      49.   just in time for elections 21:46  |  Scott 07/02/09
      50.   Shalit to Be Delivered Piece by Piece 22:55  |  Baruch Gold 07/02/09
      51.   its not livni they like its right wing parties spiitting the vote 23:08  |  zionist forever 07/02/09
      52.   I hope the report is true 01:36  |  Mark Lincoln 08/02/09
      53.   What about the Democratic Elected hamas Legistlators 01:37  |  Willaims 08/02/09
      54.   Deal will be finalized DAY BEFORE ELECTIONS 16:25  |  *BEN JABO 08/02/09
      55.   #53 Williams - what about them? 07:58  |  *BEN JABO 10/02/09
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