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Damascus-based Hamas political leader Khaled Meshal. (AP)
Last update - 00:17 01/04/2008
Abducted soldier's mother: PM must pay price to retrieve them
By Avi Issacharoff and Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondents, and Haaretz Service
Tags: Israel, Qassams 

Miki Goldwasser, the mother of one of the two Israel Defense Forces soldiers whose abduction by Hezbollah in 2006 triggered the Second Lebanon War, attacked Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday over the government's failure to retrieve them.

Speaking at Jerusalem's Hebrew University, Goldwasser said: "Olmert, you want to be remembered for striving to bring the soldiers back without paying the price, but you will be remembered for having created three more Ron Arad cases."

Ron Arad, an IAF navigator, abandoned his Phantom jet over Lebanon in 1986 and his fate remains unknown. His family believes he is still alive in Iran.
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Goldwasser called the tendency to refrain from making major concessions to the enemy in order not to encourage further abductions of IDF soldiers is a "poor excuse."

"Abductions continued even though Israel didn't pay the price for Ron Arad," she added.

She also said that the main reason for draft dodging is young people's lack of confidence in the system.

Earlier on Monday, Minister Eli Yishai urged the government to hold direct negotiations with the Islamist Hamas movement over the release of abducted IDF Corporal Gilad Shalit, hours after Hamas leader Khaled Meshal said that the soldier was still alive after almost two years in captivity.

In response, Yishai told Army Radio that the fact that Shalit is still being held in captivity is proof that the government is not doing enough for his release.

"We must do more to bring the abductees home," Yishai said, adding: "And therefore, I am ready to meet with Hamas in Europe or in Egypt. Nothing is more important than the return of hostages."

Yishai said he would also be willing to negotiate with Hezbollah over the release of reservists Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, who July 2006 abduction sparked a month-long war with Hezbollah.

Earlier, Hamas' Meshal had told Sky News from Damascus, where he is based: "Gilad is still alive and we treat him in a good way, while the Israelis treat our prisoners badly and everyone knows that."

"Gilad Shalit is an internee who was taken by our military," Meshal said. "He was fighting us while the majority of the Palestinian prisoners are civilians from the Palestinian Parliament. They are civilian and political leaders not military leaders."

When asked about indiscriminate rocket attacks from Gaza on Israeli communities in the south, Meshal said that the "the rockets are an ordinary reaction towards the Israeli occupation and their Apache helicopters and F16 jets."

Meshal then denied that the group had targeted a kindergarten. Several of the Qassam rockets from Gaza have hit on or near schools and kindergartens.

"We didn't attack a kindergarten. We have primitive weapons. I ask the international community and the Americans to give us more advanced weapons so we can shoot more accurately."

When asked whether the violence had failed again and again to yield results for the Palestinian cause, Meshal said that it was not the violence that had failed the Palestinians, but rather what he termed "Arab weakness."

"We didn't lose as a result of not recognizing Israel, or accepting their rules and conditions, or the American rules and conditions," he said. "We lost because of the Arab weakness. We didn't have enough power to stop the Israeli occupation. All the people around the world get freedom by using resistance with weapons."

"I want to tell you that the Palestinian people have difficult choices. The road to peace is not fruitful as it was proven later. Israel has no other choice than to deal positively with Arab initiatives. We have nothing left to do except fight. Even our weapons are primitive."

He denied that suicide bombings were carried out by people who had been "brainwashed," and said that they were a response to Israeli actions.

"We do not brainwash anyone. Every Palestinian spontaneosly feels that his land is occupied, that Israel is killing his children and women, demolishing their homes, taking their land, building the wall, building the settlements, and the journalism favors Israel, and digging under the Al-Aqsa Mosque, so the Palestinian individual finds himself going directly to fight for the resistance," he said.

Meshal said that Hamas was willing to end attacks on Israeli civilians, should Israel respond in kind.

"We renew our offer to Israel to let the civilian people from the two sides be free from our conflict. Israel should respond to this offer."

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  • Egypt: Hamas turned down offer to exchange prisoners for Shalit
  • PMO: Release of Shalit tape does not change Israel's position on Hamas
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      1.   Meshal is right about the arab weakness 04:38  |  Shai 31/03/08
      2.   2 Shai,you have projected an idealised view of israel.The reality 05:05  |  lakshmi 31/03/08
      3.   Shalit 05:13  |  Shmuelshachor 31/03/08
      4.   Meshal and the same weak arguments used by the talkbackers 05:15  |  Doc Holliday 31/03/08
      5.   Re: Khaled Meshal 05:26  |  Robin 31/03/08
      6.   What a disappointment to Olmert 05:32  |  Mark Lincoln 31/03/08
      7.   Meshal, if it is within your power, let Gilad go. 05:45  |  Unconditionally And 31/03/08
      8.   The arabs are weak, but the iranians are becoming nuclear 06:02  |  Aounist 31/03/08
      9.   laksmuck 06:16  |  revolutionary hero 31/03/08
      10.   To my friend laskshmi 06:19  |  Shai 31/03/08
      11.   Meshal - the next wonder of the world? 06:31  |  geoff 31/03/08
      12.   unconditionally and 07:29  |  you are so funny!! 31/03/08
      13.   "Israel treats our prisoners bad" 08:10  |  William 31/03/08
      14.   Shai? it is shia 08:17  |  nice try 31/03/08
      15.   Meshal is not Kosher 08:24  |  Zev 31/03/08
      16.   Meshal is not Kosher 08:29  |  Zev 31/03/08
      17.   Just as a matter of interest... 08:30  |  Miriam Ashkelon 31/03/08
      18.   "please give us better weapons to shoot accurately" 08:42  |  William 31/03/08
      19.   Lakshmi#3 thanks for admitted the invalid Pal claims 08:48  |  William 31/03/08
      20.   For how long will we continue???? 08:56  |  Northern 31/03/08
      21.   to shai and doc holiday 09:02  |  alon frank 31/03/08
      22.   If Shalit is alive where is the proof 09:16  |  Adrian de Klerk 31/03/08
      23.   Lakshmi # 3. 09:33  |  David Nigel Braham 31/03/08
      24.   Prisoner treatment MUST be reciprocal 09:33  |  Adrian de Klerk 31/03/08
      25.   To Lakshmishmi & Shai 09:35  |  Yossi 31/03/08
      26.   #1 IS THAT KHALID MESHAL? 09:35  |  Samy 31/03/08
      27.   Only Iran is helping 09:47  |  Clickfool 31/03/08
      28.   OT: Greater love have hath no man than this.. 09:56  |  Clickfool 31/03/08
      29.   " ... suicide bombings ... "brainwashed," ..." 10:13  |  Atilla Karagözoğlu 31/03/08
      30.   "We didn`t lose as a result of not recognising Israel" 10:14  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 31/03/08
      31.   Slow Genocide? Again? 10:15  |  MaryRose 31/03/08
      32.   "We have nothing left to do except fight." 10:18  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 31/03/08
      33.   Shalit should not be treated well IMHO. 10:23  |  Dutch Dirk 31/03/08
      34.   For "Unconditionally And" # 7 10:24  |  Clickfool 31/03/08
      35.   "We do not brainwash anyone." 10:24  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 31/03/08
      36.   HE forgot to define what Hamas means by occupation. 10:24  |  PETER SM 31/03/08
      37.   For Cipora # 26 10:47  |  Clickfool 31/03/08
      38.   For Cipora again # 28 10:48  |  Clickfool 31/03/08
      39.   He is right ! 10:54  |  ordinary Palestinian 31/03/08
      40.   Cipora Julianna Kohn #27 PLO rocognised Israel 11:05  |  Roo 31/03/08
      41.   NEVER negotiate w/ terror = MORE TERROR!!! 11:15  |  Sheryl 31/03/08
      42.   #26, Atilla, thank you for a wonderful post 11:19  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 31/03/08
      43.   Shas fishing for votes and money as usual 11:29  |  SJ 31/03/08
      44.   Shai reference to Palestinians growing up 11:36  |  Palestinian Prince 31/03/08
      45.   Meshal just "joking" 11:43  |  Undertaker 31/03/08
      46.   Once Israel meets Hamas over Shalit, the ice is broken....... 11:44  |  Swiss (Dino) 31/03/08
      47.   @Samy in #23 11:47  |  A. 31/03/08
      48.   DUTCHDRK.Haniyeh saving his backside by not killing Shalit. 12:18  |  PETER SM 31/03/08
      49.   WE AREN`T LIKE THEM 12:24  |  indrajaya 31/03/08
      50.   ORDINARY PAL.The most precise weapon ever is the suicide bomber 12:54  |  PETER SM 31/03/08
      51.   ORDINARY PAL (2).Before the "occupation" Pal terror was the same. 13:01  |  PETER SM 31/03/08
      52.   #39: ordinary Palestinian and La La land 13:16  |  Doc Holliday 31/03/08
      53.   # 31 It`s not about what whole communuties want. It is commanded 13:16  |  Unconditionally And 31/03/08
      54.   WHAT 10.000 WOMEN AND CHILDREN INSIDE ISRAEL JAILS? 13:19  |  indrajaya 31/03/08
      55.   # 2 lakshmi......"property bought from Turks 13:38  |  Lynn 31/03/08
      56.   Hamas are not civilians, they are blood thristy terrorists. He 13:45  |  aa 31/03/08
      57.   # 29 Atilla....hello 13:46  |  Lynn 31/03/08
      58.   Lakshmi your logic is very faulty 14:05  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 31/03/08
      59.   Mark Lincoln and his continuous campaign against Israel 14:07  |  x-ray 31/03/08
      60.   INDRAJAYA WOMEN AND CHILDREN ARE PAL FRONT LINE TROOPS 14:09  |  PETER SM 31/03/08
      61.   INDRAJAYA NOT LIKE THEM AT ALL. PALS ARE SEEN BY RED CROSS 14:14  |  PETER SM 31/03/08
      62.   what kind of people 14:16  |  Gary Schroeder 31/03/08
      63.   Indrajya,Cipora&other zionists;Indrajaya beautifully said! 14:18  |  lakshmi 31/03/08
      64.   Red Cross visit to Shalit-good for Hamas 14:24  |  Aphemia 31/03/08
      65.   Palestinian Prince # 44 Ancient Mandated Palestine 14:30  |  Jeff Northridge 31/03/08
      66.   58 margie of Tel Aviv,your skewed reading of history! Palestinian 14:34  |  lakshmi 31/03/08
      67.   # 49 indrajaya, Are you fearing death or conversion by force for 14:42  |  any of 10,000? 31/03/08
      68.   If Meshal says he is alive, then the poor boy is probably dead 15:24  |  Freethinker 31/03/08
      69.   To lakshmi, please read 15:27