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Last update - 21:39 16/02/2009
Officials: Israel may authorize terms for Shalit deal on Wednesday
By Avi Issacharof, Jack Khoury and Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondents
Tags: Gaza, Israel news, Hamas 

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A senior Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the security cabinet would possibly "authorize the parameters of a deal" during the Wednesday discussion.

"This is real. They are discussing and debating who will be released" in exchange for Shalit, a second official said.

Shalit was captured by Hamas-allied militants in a cross-border raid from the Gaza Strip in June 2006. Hamas, the rulers of the Gaza Strip, have demanded that Israel release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the Israeli soldier's freedom.

Israel believes that Hamas wants to close the deal before a hardline rightist government, possibly led by Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu, takes office.

"Timing is a factor here because Olmert wants to leave behind a clean slate and Netanyahu has an interest in taking office without the Shalit case hanging over him," one of the Israeli officials said.

Olmert told Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak earlier Monday that Shalit's release was Israel's top priority, and reiterated that Jerusalem would not agree to a complete truce deal with Hamas until he was freed.

"I clarified my stance to the most senior Egyptian representatives," Olmert said during a meeting with Mubarak. "We will not open [Gaza] border crossings to Hamas as long as Shalit remains under their cruel captivity. When Gilad is home, we will be ready to discuss the rest of the issues."

According to the prime minister, Israel's stance has not changed - first Shalit's release, then the other issues. "This has been my position from day one," he said.

Hamas warned on Monday that Olmert's brinkmanship over Shalit put broader cease-fire talks in jeopardy.

But senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk told Al Jazeera Television from Cairo, "We are ready ... to open the file of Gilad Shalit for negotiation."

"If they want him back at home as they say, they have to let the Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons go home too," he added.

Another Hamas official, Taher al-Nono, said "a clear agreement" on a cease-fire had been reached until Olmert, over the weekend, insisted on Shalit being freed first.

"We stress our rejection of any Israeli blackmail," he said.

As the prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas takes, Israel has insisted that the high-level Palestinian terror masterminds it will free in exchange for Shalit will not be allowed to return to Gaza or the West Bank, but rather be exiled to Syria or Lebanon, the London-based Arabic language Al-Hayat reported Monday.

Hamas has yet to respond to this Israeli demand, but Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman said last Friday that Egypt is opposed to exiling these life sentence prisoners. In essence, Suleiman said that Egypt will insist that these prisoners return home.

On Sunday, Hader Shkirat, attorney for jailed leader of Fatah's Tanzim faction Marwan Barghouti, told Haaretz that there would be no deal for Shalit without the release of his client.

Hader added that he believes that a prisoner exchange deal will be formulated within days, and that his client will be among the Palestinian prisoners freed in the exchange.

"I can't say for certain whether Marwan's release will happen as part of the exchange, before it or after it, but in any case, he will be released," Hader told Haaretz.

A spokesman for Hamas' military wing, Abu Obeida, said Sunday that the group insists on the release of three senior figures: Ibrahim Hamed, the leader of the military wing in the West Bank; Abdullah Barghouti, responsible among others for the bombings at the Sbarro pizzeria and Cafe Moment in Jerusalem; and Abbas al-Sayed, mastermind of the Park Hotel massacre in Netanya.

With this announcement, Hamas is essentially saying that it has no intention of engaging in negotiations over the list of prisoners it has presented Israel.

Related articles:
  • Cabinet to vote on wording for deal to free Shalit, Gaza truce
  • Egyptian intelligence officials 'optimistic' about Shalit deal
  • Minister Eitan: Shalit deal may be sealed by end of Olmert term
  • Shalit's father: Hamas holding us hostage for 'bogus resistance'
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      1.   Barghouti exiled? OK, with one condition... 12:00  |  Natallie Durson 16/02/09
      2.   terror masterminds freed 12:07  |  Nir 16/02/09
      3.   Don`t free the terrorists! 12:30  |  Mark Jeffery Koch 16/02/09
      4.   Value 12:31  |  Michael Hessler 16/02/09
      5.   Cut to the chase - bring him home! 12:32  |  Manny Goldstein 16/02/09
      6.   No Shalit=No Open Crossings 12:54  |  Ron 16/02/09
      7.   Double Standards! 12:58  |  An Arab Neighbor 16/02/09
      8.   To Mark Jeffery Koch. 13:15  |  sandra chitayat 16/02/09
      9.   ==Israel insists: Terror masterminds freed in Shalit deal 13:46  |  Avraham 16/02/09
      10.   SO WHAT? 14:00  |  indrajaya 16/02/09
      11.   Get a grip, Israel 14:17  |  Johnboy 16/02/09
      12.   #1 14:20  |  Bob 16/02/09
      13.   For # 1: The difference between "act" and "conscience" 14:28  |  Marco Mauas 16/02/09
      14.   We all saw what happened when terrorists 14:30  |  Lynn 16/02/09
      15.   smart allec #11 14:45  |  wake up 16/02/09
      16.   Say "No" to linkage between release of Shalit & arch-terrorists 15:22  |  Wendy 16/02/09
      17.   # 15 wake up 15:28  |  H 16/02/09
      18.   #15 Smart Allec 15:30  |  Johnboy 16/02/09
      19.   Insane to relesase terrorists; bomb gaza to rubble instead 05:45  |  bernard ross 16/02/09
      20.   1#, Natallie,1#, first lets hope that Gilad is even alive 15:45  |  Judah 16/02/09
      21.   No prisoner releases for Shalit 17:12  |  MARK KLEIN, M.D. 16/02/09
      22.   You should have freed Shalit when you had your foot on Hamas 17:20  |  Damon 16/02/09
      23.   #7 Arab Neighbor, #9 Avraham, #11 Johnboy 17:52  |  Solomon 16/02/09
      24.   The vow reiterated is not the menace mert`s that he wants to take 18:31  |  glenna 16/02/09
      25.   Hamas want concessions in return for proof that Shalit is alive 18:33  |  Joseph.E 16/02/09
      26.   Johnboy # 11 Get A Grip Yourself 18:40  |  Jeff Northridge 16/02/09
      27.   prisoners swap 18:44  |  Palestinian 16/02/09
      28.   To Indrajaya 19:35  |  Proud Jew 16/02/09
      29.   To Johnboy 19:38  |  Proud Jew 16/02/09
      30.   Release them into WB 20:16  |  Jasper 16/02/09
      31.   To #2 MArk Jeffry 20:56  |  Mark Alpha 16/02/09
      32.   Might is right. There are no principles or rules involved 20:59  |  KR 16/02/09
      33.   Exile for ALL state terrorists 21:24  |  American in NY 16/02/09
      34.   why exile them??? 21:39  |  Aviel 16/02/09
      35.   No freedom For Serial Killers 22:10  |  Baruch Gold 16/02/09
      36.   #26 Think again, Jeff Northridge 01:47  |  Johnboy 17/02/09
      37.   Little `shit` Shalit 01:51  |  TheAZCowBoy 17/02/09
      38.   #23 The wisdom (!) of Solomon 02:00  |  Johnboy 17/02/09
      39.   #29 Then DON`T RELEASE THEM, Proud Jew 03:39  |  Johnboy 17/02/09
      40.   Shalits bones: `What will Israel give to get them. 04:49  |  TheAZCowBoy 17/02/09
      41.   get shalit back! forget the conditions!...and WHAT of marwan? 07:38  |  eric 17/02/09
      42.   #26 That`s mighty impressive pontification, Jeff - 2nd try 08:10  |  Johnboy 17/02/09
      43.   @3 2nd try to respond to the wisdom (!) of Solomon 08:24  |  Johnboy 17/02/09
      44.   #29 Emotive nonsense from Proud Jew - 2nd try to reply 08:32  |  Johnboy 17/02/09
      45.   Let`s see! 08:57  |  Rohan 17/02/09
      46.   IRC still responsible to confirm Gilad Shalit is alive and well 09:02  |  lily 17/02/09
      47.   Missed Opportunity 09:03  |  Rohan 17/02/09
      48.   Boring 10:31  |  F. Natour 17/02/09
      49.   Release all prisoners with a chip ?? 15:50  |  SA 17/02/09
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