Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday he was "sure" captive Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit was alive and in good condition, and said the Palestinians had a "responsibility" to keep him alive and to return him to his family.

"We have a responsibility to keep him alive," Abbas told a joint news conference with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. "We are sure he is in good condition and alive, and we want to return him alive."

Abbas also that the soldier's release must be met by the release of Palestinian prisoners.

	Advertisement

Abbas said that "when we speak about the soldier, we speak of the prisoners," referring to more than 9,000 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Shalit was captured by Hamas-allied militants in June and is believed held in Gaza. Hamas has demanded the release of some 1,400 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for freeing Shalit.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday that Abbas blatantly violated a promise to free Shalit before forming a new national unity government.

Olmert spoke before the weekly Cabinet meeting and ahead of high-profile talks With U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and UN chief Ban Ki-moon, both visiting the region.

"We can't ignore the fact that the chairman of the Palestinian Authority blatantly violated a series of commitments to Israel, especially the commitment that no national unity government would be formed before Gilad Shalit's release," Olmert said.

Olmert said Abbas had made the commitment again and again in meetings between the two leaders, during three-way summits that included Rice, and foreign heads of state.

The Palestinians have said Abbas made no such promises, committing only to do his best to work for Shalit's release.

The international community imposed a boycott on the Palestinian government after Hamas took power last year to try to force the Islamic group to renounce violence, recognize Israel and commit to existing peace agreements. The new government's platform does not explicitly meet any of those demands.

"The new platform and the fact that Shalit is still being held by his captors won't make our contacts with the Palestinian Authority in the near future any easier," Olmert told his Cabinet.

Olmert also hailed the UN Security Council's decision to impose more sanctions on Iran in an effort to dissuade it from pursuing its nuclear program.

Olmert called the resolution an important and encouraging step. Israel, he said, prefers a political, diplomatic, economic solution to the Iranian problem.