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Gilad Shalit's brother Yoel and his father Noam at a protest tent in Jerusalem on Friday.
 (Emil Salman / Jini)
Last update - 07:20 16/03/2009
Olmert postpones special cabinet session on Shalit
By Barak Ravid and Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondents
Tags: Hamas, Ehud Olmert 

Shortly after midnight, outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert postponed for 24 hours a special cabinet session on abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, in order to give negotiators an extra day in Cairo to finalize a deal for his release.

Shin Bet Chief Yuval Diskin and special negotiator Ofer Dekel on Sunday decided to remain in Cairo for extra negotiations.

The two were expected to leave Egypt late Sunday with a finalized agreement following their weekend talks with the Egyptian negotiators mediating with Hamas for Shalit's release. It is not clear when they will return.
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Israel sent a message to Hamas Saturday that the final date for reaching an agreement on a prisoner exchange involving Shalit will be Sunday night.

Outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced on Sunday that the Israeli government would decide by the following day on a deal to secure the release of Shalit, who was abducted by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip in a cross border raid in 2006.

"My emissaries will return this evening and will report to me," Olmert said, speaking at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting. "The government will receive an update tomorrow and in accordance with that we will reach a decision."


Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said later Sunday, however, that no new developments had been reached regarding the soldier's release.

From Cairo, Barhoum said he considered Olmert's statement and the arrival of Israeli negotiators in Egypt to be bargaining tactics.

"We have not received anything new," he said. "We will not change our position."

Hamas, the rulers of the Strip, have demanded the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the soldier's freedom.

During the cabinet meeting, Olmert said that Israel has made great efforts to achieve Shalit's release from his Hamas captors over the last three years that were unknown to the general public.

"Until today, Hamas' position was far beyond what the most moderate figures that pressured and pushed for a deal with Hamas would have accepted," he added.

Palestinian sources have said the main obstacle in the negotiations is a dispute over the number of prisoners to be expelled after they are released from prison.

A senior source in the Prime Minister's Bureau said Saturday that this is the final push before Israel's new government takes over after last month's elections.

"There is still no breakthrough. This is the final effort. There is time until Sunday night to reach a deal," the senior source said. "This can turn into a deal but it can also get stuck. If there is an agreement it will be possible to hold a vote in the cabinet on Monday."

Olmert aides stressed Saturday that by Tuesday the Knesset will be presented with the coalition agreements of Benjamin Netanyahu's new government for approval.

It appears that with the help of Egyptian mediators, Israel and Hamas have reached a deal in which a large number of Palestinian prisoners will be released in return for Shalit. But there are still names of prisoners pending, and there is no final agreement on the security arrangements.

This is the reason Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin participated in talks in Cairo last week, to discuss the expulsion to the Gaza Strip or abroad of some of the released prisoners.

"It is necessary to reach a deal that will also assuage the Shin Bet, so Diskin has joined the negotiations," a senior political source said.

Last week Olmert's special envoy, Ofer Dekel, and Diskin held three days of indirect talks with Hamas representatives, with the assistance of Egyptian intelligence officials.

On Friday Dekel and Diskin briefed Olmert on the developments; the prime minister gave final instructions and sent the two officials back to Cairo for a final set of talks.

Olmert also briefed Prime Minister-designate Netanyahu on the developments.

The purpose of the special cabinet meting on Monday is for "updating the cabinet on the talks for the release of the abducted soldier and to present the current situation before the new government takes over, probably later in the week," a source in Olmert's bureau said.

If a deal is reached and approved, the exchange will begin with the release of 300 prisoners in return for the transfer of Shalit to Egypt, where his parents will be able to visit him. Then 150 more prisoners will be released and Shalit will be brought to Israel.

Palestinian sources say that in the deal being formulated, Israel will release the 450 prisoners Hamas named, including convicted killers and planners of suicide bombings.

Saturday, a Hamas representative in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, said the group refused to accept the expulsion of any of the released prisoners.

But an Egyptian source said that "there are still disagreements on the names that will be released, not only about the expulsions."


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      1.   Don`t Harm more Israelis 03:16  |  Baruch Gold 15/03/09
      2.   Release of Shalit 03:22  |  Le Corbeau 15/03/09
      3.   Procrastination thy 2nd name is Olmert 03:38  |  UK 15/03/09
      4.   transfer of shalit or transfer of report and shalit.oldmert will 03:44  |  glenna 15/03/09
      5.   Marwan Barghouti better not be part of the deal 03:58  |  Conroy 15/03/09
      6.   simple solution 04:08  |  David K 15/03/09
      7.   just make the exchange; with NO stipulations 04:10  |  eric 15/03/09
      8.   REALLY? 04:37  |  indrajaya 15/03/09
      9.   Hamas & Shalit Charade 04:50  |  Le Corbeau 15/03/09
      10.   Shows the value each side puts on human life 04:53  |  Moises 15/03/09
      11.   #2 Conroy 04:58  |  ben 15/03/09
      12.   ISRAELI JUSTICE SYSTEM BROKEN !!!! 05:31  |  david 15/03/09
      13.   make the exchange, then decide policy for the future. 05:37  |  Elad Lending 15/03/09
      14.   A laughable example of an empty threat 06:13  |  Johnboy 15/03/09
      15.   #7 Indrajaya, it works both ways 06:17  |  Conroy 15/03/09
      16.   Who calls Barghouti the Mandela of the West Bank ben (#9)? 06:54  |  Robert Haymond 15/03/09
      17.   Just get Gilad home NOW!!!!!!!! 07:06  |  Mel (M) 15/03/09
      18.   Shalit is no longer alive. Olmert knows this 07:47  |  Ken Jurist 15/03/09
      19.   I`m sure Hamas will be very "impressed" by this deadline...... 08:07  |  Swiss (Dino) 15/03/09
      20.   Expulsion of released prisoners is a useless exercise 08:16  |  Esther 15/03/09
      21.   deadline 08:23  |  rm 15/03/09
      22.   Israel gets it backwards yet again 08:24  |  Natallie Durson 15/03/09
      23.   Hamas will ignore this Israeli arrogance 08:46  |  Clickfool 15/03/09
      24.   The deadline is very real 09:51  |  Chris 15/03/09
      25.   Olmert faces a deadline, not Hamas 10:25  |  Natallie Durson 15/03/09
      26.   Let the Dogs of war loose on terrrorist Hamas 10:35  |  Baruch Gold 15/03/09
      27.   Reports are majority of cabinet will vote for it, no pressure 11:01  |  James 15/03/09
      28.   Olmert and Livni to release passover bombing mastermind 11:02  |  David 15/03/09
      29.   # 7 indrajaya ...... having real clarity 11:07  |  allang 15/03/09
      30.   # 23, BARUCH GOLDSTEIN 11:07  |  indrajaya 15/03/09
      31.   #9-ben....WHY? the Mandela of the West Bank!! 11:13  |  Joe V. Moer 15/03/09
      32.   Free all 11:48  |  zimmermann 15/03/09
      33.   # 27, ALLANG 11:49  |  indrajaya 15/03/09
      34.   Netanyahu is on his knees praying 11:57  |  Chris Linthwaite 15/03/09
      35.   #27 Allang why waste your time responding 11:58  |  Ari ben Yisrael 15/03/09
      36.   To #24 12:38  |  Liat 15/03/09
      37.   To #21 12:40  |  Liat 15/03/09
      38.   `funny` isn`t it? 12:40  |  rm 15/03/09
      39.   Where is Gulliver when you need him? 12:52  |  Peter Williams 15/03/09
      40.   To #32 Indrajaya 12:56  |  Liat 15/03/09
      41.   # 34 Ari ........ just kicking a mule 13:16  |  allang 15/03/09
      42.   Make Cabinet Members Who Vote to free Murderers Known 13:34  |  Baruch Gold 15/03/09
      43.   Johnboy # 13 The Final Push 13:42  |  Jeff Northridge 15/03/09
      44.   It is apparent that Baruch Gold 14:51  |  Chris Linthwaite 15/03/09
      45.   For Jeff Northridge # 39 14:51  |  Clickfool 15/03/09
      46.   #10 ben and #30 Joe V. Moer 15:02  |  Conroy 15/03/09
      47.   Baruch Gold (#38) Little thing you are not taking into account 16:56  |  Gil 15/03/09
      48.   Baruch Gold (#38) Little thing you are not taking into account 16:57  |  Gil 15/03/09
      49.   #13 johnboy, hamas have a lot to lose 17:21  |  duncan 15/03/09
      50.   # 40 duncan De javu all over again and again 17:37  |  Labhras 15/03/09
      51.   baguti a second MANDELA!!!! You must be kidding 17:46  |  lily 15/03/09
      52.   Robert Haymond, Sharon vs Barghouti 17:50  |  Palestinian Prince 15/03/09
      53.   Just imagine it is your kid... 17:52  |  lily 15/03/09
      54.   Deal with... 18:05  |  Ernie P. 15/03/09
      55.   Baruch Gold 18:08  |  Elona 15/03/09
      56.   indrajaya,,,just keep him,it`s still better than releasing 18:44  |  too late my friend 15/03/09
      57.   #5 David K. after prison in Israel,the prisoners will have turned 18:46  |  Susanna/shoshana 15/03/09
      58.   yes dino,let him stay captive,he`s probally already dead anyhow 18:50  |  your a sick MFer 15/03/09
      59.   Israel in a slave to terrorists begging for their agreement 18:53  |  James a Gentile 15/03/09
      60.   #7Indrajaya,he`s dead,there is nothing to release 18:53  |  Susanna/shoshana 15/03/09
      61.   ISRAEL IS ARMING THE ENEMY!!! 18:58  |  James a Gentile 15/03/09
      62.   Release of Gilad Shalit 18:58  |  Meboulbal 15/03/09
      63.   Labhras (#43) Things Labhras wants us to forget 19:09  |  Gil 15/03/09
      64.   JESUSALEN 19:16  |  jesusalen 15/03/09
      65.   #43 labhras 19:18  |  duncan 15/03/09
      66.   #13 johnboy,Hezbollah sent back 2 dead bodies 19:19  |  Susanna/shoshana 15/03/09
      67.   3333333#18SWISS(dino) Hamas has no responsibility as elected offi 19:38  |  Susanna/shoshana 15/03/09
      68.   Israel never misses a chance to miss a chance for Shalit 19:46  |  Uri Levy 15/03/09
      69.   So it seems that pals don`t want their 450 released!? 20:10  |  lily 15/03/09
      70.   shalit a soldier 20:37  |  caroline 15/03/09
      71.   It seems so immoral to be obsessed with one person`s life .. 20:38  |  Dutch 15/03/09
      72.   Palestinian Prince (#45) Sharon went to court and WON 20:53  |  Gil 15/03/09
      73.   Seems more and more Hamas can`t produce a live Gilad Schalit.. 21:49  |  Dick Miller 15/03/09
      74.   Gil, you seem to forget 05:30  |  Palestinian Prince 16/03/09
      75.   No One in Olmert`s Cabinet wants blood on their hands 07:50  |  Baruch Gold 16/03/09
      76.   Palestinian Prince (#74) Always the poor Palestinians 12:44  |  Gil 16/03/09
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