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Abducted IDF Cpl. Gilad Shalit (AP)
Last update - 18:35 06/04/2008
Hamas official: Israel refused offers for temporary cease-fire
By Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondent and Haaretz Service
Tags: Palestinian prisoners, Hamas 

A senior member of the militant Palestinian group Hamas said Sunday that Israel has refused its offers for a temporary ceasefire proposed through Egyptian mediation.

Moussa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of Hamas' political bureau said that Israel has responded negatively via the Egyptian mediators to an offer for a truce with the group both in the Gaza Strip and in the West Bank.

Abu Marzouk also said that if Israel does not release 350 Palestinian prisoners, it will never get kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit back alive, a Kuwaiti newspaper reported Sunday.
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Moussa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of Hamas' political bureau, told Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Qabas that the militant group will negotiate with Israel over Shalit's bones if the prisoners are not released.

Palestinian militants captured Shalit in 2006. Negotiations toward a prisoner swap for Palestinians in Israeli custody have so far failed.

On Saturday, Palestinian Parliament Member representing Hamas, Mushir al Masri, blamed Israel and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for failing to reach a compromise that would procure Shalit's release from captivity.

Al Masri told a Palestinian news agency "I want to turn to the Shalit family and say 'Olmert and his associates are gambling with your son's life.'"

Al Masri further said that another Israeli insistence would make Hamas seal off the possibility for Shalit's release. "Shalit will never see the light of day, or his parents, if the Palestinian prisoners will not see theirs," he declared.

Al Masri claimed Hamas was beginning to question Egypt's ability to help solve the burning issues at stake, including Shalit, the Israeli-Palestinian situation, as well the sour relations between Hamas and Fatah within the Palestinian Authority.

Last week, Damascus-based Hamas political leader Khaled Mehsal said that negotiations to free Shalit were at a standstill, due to Israel's refusal to release Palestinian prisoners. "Gilad is still alive and we treat him in a good way, while the Israelis treat our prisoners badly and everyone knows that," Meshal said.

Meanwhile, Abu Marzouk also told the Kuwaiti newspaper from his base in Damascus, Syria on Sunday, that Hamas would support early legislative elections, reversing the group's long-standing opposition. Hamas trounced the more moderate Fatah group in parliament elections in 2006 and had previously opposed holding new contests before the end of the normal four-year term.

However, Abu Marzouk reiterated Hamas' objection to an early presidential election because Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to leave office at the end of this year. Hamas has indicated it plans to run in the next presidential election for the first time.

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      1.   Seems fair enough to me 10:25  |  Clickfool 06/04/08
      2.   350 10:39  |  Black Jack 06/04/08
      3.   Shalit 10:55  |  Tito Anselmi 06/04/08
      4.   Gilad Shalit 10:56  |  Tito Anselmi 06/04/08
      5.   Not a single leftist objects 10:57  |  Binyamin Dissen 06/04/08
      6.   Obviously Hamas is now beholden to Al Quaida 10:58  |  Esther 06/04/08
      7.   350 for 1 11:04  |  NJ 06/04/08
      8.   Nice to know #1 11:05  |  Ari ben Yisrael 06/04/08
      9.   Over his bones? Killing him? 11:14  |  ZS 06/04/08
      10.   LET HIS PARENT KNOW 11:22  |  indrajaya 06/04/08
      11.   Dear "Mossad", what happened to you.....???? 11:28  |  Swiss (Dino) 06/04/08
      12.   Over his bones? Killing him? 11:32  |  ZS 06/04/08
      13.   OT: Global warming 11:36  |  Clickfool 06/04/08
      14.   Israel Doesn`t Care 11:45  |  Walid 06/04/08
      15.   I think Isreal shuold reciprocate prisoner treatment 11:47  |  Adrian de Klerk 06/04/08
      16.   @ NJ 11:56  |  dutch 06/04/08
      17.   Not Even 1 for 1 12:11  |  dyinglikeflies 06/04/08
      18.   Right for once Cfool: Israeli soldier worth more than 350 thugs 12:12  |  Iz Ray Leigh 06/04/08
      19.   To Ari #8 12:20  |  Choni Davidowitz 06/04/08
      20.   1:1 12:22  |  Vital 06/04/08
      21.   Abu Marzouk is this a threat 12:24  |  Gil 06/04/08
      22.   Here is a "smart pill" for the ignorant 12:34  |  Natallie Durson 06/04/08
      23.   HANIYEH is responsible for Shalit`s safety.Hamas bones anyone? 12:42  |  PETER SM 06/04/08
      24.   Shalit 12:43  |  Judy 06/04/08
      25.   Geert Wilders film fitna proven true every day by muslim actions 12:50  |  Johnny 06/04/08
      26.   Leftie Esther from TA why don`t you join Clockfool,your people 12:54  |  Absolute Sweden 06/04/08
      27.   To Choni #10 13:00  |  Ari ben Yisrael 06/04/08
      28.   pleawe listen to reason 13:05  |  Mahmood 06/04/08
      29.   Make it clear!Any harm to Shalit=death to Haniyeh and Zahar 13:07  |  Alan 06/04/08
      30.   WHERE`S THE OTHER 650 PALS? 13:12  |  VIPER 06/04/08
      31.   For ZS #12 13:15  |  Clickfool 06/04/08
      32.   This is the type of negotiations when dealing with THUGS!!! 13:19  |  Ben Uziel 06/04/08
      33.   Attitude of ISLAMOFASCISTS:"we`ll negotiate over ... bones".SHAME 13:24  |  Vittorio 06/04/08
      34.   threats are nothing new 13:25  |  the truth 06/04/08
      35.   To Ari #27 13:25  |  Choni Davidowitz 06/04/08
      36.   wild pigs when cornered 13:32  |  Jason 06/04/08
      37.   Make it clear!Any harm to Shalit=death to Haniyeh and Zahar 13:38  |  Daniel 06/04/08
      38.   BLACKMAIL and THREATS....... 13:40  |  Dagma 06/04/08
      39.   Rightist are saying anything, this is their real face 13:44  |  Daniel 06/04/08
      40.   israel does not want to release the Hamas legislators who will 13:56  |  lakshmi 06/04/08
      41.   Clickfool #1 Seems fair 14:03  |  Jeff 06/04/08
      42.   VIPER" jews/israel have always stated` REALLY ? where ? 14:10  |  PETER SM 06/04/08
      43.   Shalit exchange for 350 prisoners. 14:11  |  Rozz 06/04/08
      44.   Release the POW 14:19  |  Adel 06/04/08
      45.   Shalit 1 : 350 14:25  |  Mel (M) 06/04/08
      46.   Judy in Las Vegas 14:39  |  Walid 06/04/08
      47.   For Jeff Northridge # 41 14:50  |  Clickfool 06/04/08
      48.   What A Stupid Thing To Say, Abu Marzouk 14:54  |  Jeff Northridge 06/04/08
      49.   Mail Shalit`s fingers back to Israel 14:57  |  POP 06/04/08
      50.   No trade 14:58  |  American Christian 06/04/08
      51.   # 37, DANIEL 15:01  |  indrajaya 06/04/08
      52.   Win the war against terror. 15:03  |  Jean Van Daem 06/04/08
      53.   Kidnappers and Cannibals should be brought to justice 15:09  |  Avi 06/04/08
      54.   POP = Barbarian 15:09  |  Joe Frazier 06/04/08
      55.   #22 Natallie-If Bin Ladin can get a video out... 15:11  |  Aphemia 06/04/08
      56.   To Mamood 15:13  |  American Christian 06/04/08
      57.   Why the indignation? 15:21  |  potobac 06/04/08
      58.   Shalit is no coward 15:32  |  Joe Frazier 06/04/08
      59.   Lets talk barbarism for potobac 15:42  |  Joe Frazier 06/04/08
      60.   It`s not just Shalit who will be a fossil ... 15:52  |  Dutch 06/04/08
      61.   Re- Joe Frazier 16:14  |  American Christian 06/04/08
      62.   Re- Joe Frazier again 16:22  |  American Christian 06/04/08
      63.   They have to know where he is if he`s still alive 16:25  |  Michael 06/04/08
      64.   # 7 NJ World also turned blind eyes when 16:28  |  Bobby 06/04/08
      65.   Clickfool # 47 Post # 41 Is Not Mine 16:30  |  Jeff Northridge 06/04/08
      66.   Make no bones about it; Israel cannot afford to release Shalit 16:31  |  Tosefta 06/04/08
      67.   Mail POPS fingers back to Haaretz 16:48  |  Elvis Baldwell 06/04/08
      68.   # 28 Mahmood of Kuwait 16:48  |  Lynn 06/04/08
      69.   Hamas proudly announces they`ll murder their prisoner if 17:01  |  newageblues 06/04/08
      70.   60Dutch agreed 60 years is too long! 17:01  |  lakshmi 06/04/08
      71.   Soon, Israel`s fear of Iran will help release all prisoners 17:07  |  Aounist