Subscribe to Print Edition | Sun., June 29, 2008 Sivan 26, 5768 | | Israel Time: 18:15 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
  Back to Homepage
Rosner's Domain
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Car Rental
Books Peres Conference Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File
Last update - 14:46 19/06/2008
Mother of missing soldier: Hezbollah will kidnap again if Kuntar not returned
By Yossi Melman and Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondents
Tags: hezbollah, israel, lebanon 

The mother of kidnapped Israel Defense Forces soldier Ehud Goldwasser on Thursday warned that Hezbollah will abduct more Israelis in the future if Lebanese terrorist Samir Kuntar is not returned to Lebanon as part of a deal for her son's release.

"If Kuntar is not exchanged today there will be more kidnappings and maybe this time also of Israeli citizens traveling on holiday abroad. Nasrallah is determined to return Kuntar at any cost. His next attempt may be much worse," wrote Miki Goldwasser in a letter to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Kuntar is serving multiple life sentences for killing four Israelis in a 1979 infiltration of an apartment building in northern Israel.
Advertisement

In her letter, Goldwasser was referring to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah's stated desire to bring the convicted murder back to Lebanon. She demanded that Olmert finalize deal for the abducted soldiers' return.

Hezbollah guerillas kidnapped Goldwasser and Eldad Regev in a 2006 cross-border raid that sparked the Second Lebanon War.

Goldwasser added that, "I heard that the defense minister has invited the army's top brass in order to discuss with them the release of Samir Kuntar in exchange for the return of my son and Eldad."

"There were those among them who opposed this, and I ask: How can they have the gall to oppose? They are the ones who were partners to the oversights that led to the kidnap." Goldwasser stated.

She added that if the deal is not reached because of Israel, Hezbollah will gain credit in Lebanon and especially across the world. Goldwasser noted that in this case, the guerilla organization will be able to present itself as having made compromises while Israel torpedoed the move for information that Hezbollah cannot provide.

The information Goldwasser was apparently hinting to was on the fate of missing Israel Air Force navigator Ron Arad, as Kuntar's freedom depends on a 2004 cabinet decision to release him only in exchange for information on Arad.

The information Goldwasser was apparently hinting to was on the fate of missing Israel Air Force navigator Ron Arad, upon which Kuntar's release depends according to a 2004 cabinet decision.

Goldwasser stressed that she has no credible information about the medical condition of the kidnapped soldiers.

"From Nasrallah's testimony there were ambulances that waited for the wounded [after the kidnap]. We know that they posses the best possible medical equipment including expert doctors. But more than this? Nasrallah announced then that his people had kidnapped two living soldiers," Goldwasser said.

Defense officials: No prisoner swap with Hezbollah this weekend

The prisoner exchange between Israel and Hezbollah will not take place in the next few days, Defense Ministry official said Wednesday.

In any case, such an exchange will not take place until the cabinet meets to approve the release of Kuntar.

The schedule for the swap is still unclear, though it may possibly come next week, and no date has been set. It is also not clear whether such a swap would take place at the Rosh Hanikra border crossing, or whether, as in previous exchanges, it would be carried out in Germany, with two airplanes taking off at the same time, one from Tel Aviv and the other from Beirut, on their way to a German military airport.

In practice, any deal would depend on Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who will have to decide whether he accepts Israel's terms, which include not releasing any Palestinian prisoners.

Israel has stated that it will release only Lebanese. This includes four Hezbollah men who were taken captive during the Second Lebanon War, and another eight bodies buried in a cemetery in Northern Israel.

Nevertheless, Israel may release a few dozen Palestinian prisoners at a later date. These Palestinians are serving sentences in Israeli prisons for criminal acts, and not security crimes. Such a release would create the impression that it is connected to the deal with the Hezbollah.

Ofer Dekel, the prime minister's representative for negotiations with Hezbollah, returned on Wednesday from a private vacation in Paris, though he also dealt with the exchange talks there. He may also have met with the UN mediator involved in the talks, German Gerhard Konrad.

Rumors abounded on Wednesday that Israel had already started exhuming the bodies of the Lebanese to be returned as part of the deal, but these rumors were incorrect. Other rumors reported that Dekel was shown pictures of the abducted soldiers, Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, but Dekel made it clear to the two families on Wednesday at a meeting in his Tel Aviv office that he had not received any new information. He explained that it is likely that only during the actual swap will they find out whether the two are dead or alive. He informed the families of the possible schedule for the deal.

Goldwasser's father, Shlomo, told Haaretz that a dramatic step over the weekend had been ruled out.

The families confirmed reports of the meeting, but refused to reveal details, describing the meeting as a short update.

Related articles:
  • Families of missing soldiers briefed ahead of Hezbollah deal
  • A kosher deal
  • Family of captive soldier: Deal with Hezbollah developing
    • Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
    A fateful week
    We shall see whether the truce will help bring Gilad Shalit home.
    Munich anticipated?
    A German professor says Israeli athletes willfully sacrificed themselves.
      1.   The two IDF men will not be released any time soon 09:32  |  Clickfool 19/06/08
      2.   Prisoner exchange? Are you kidding? 10:47  |  Nora 19/06/08
      3.   Nasralla needs this deal 13:12  |  Rina 19/06/08
      4.   Faulty Logic 14:13  |  Common Sense 19/06/08
      5.   # 1 Israel can take any position 14:14  |  CM 19/06/08
      6.   Enough already! Kill him then. We can no longer take prisoners. 14:35  |  Arik 19/06/08
      7.   No such deals 14:56  |  Castor Troy 19/06/08
      8.   On the contrary, Nasrallah will gain credit if trade is made 15:01  |  McQueen 19/06/08
      9.   That may be true, but the price should be the end of Hezbanon 15:14  |  Dan 19/06/08
      10.   Understandable reaction from mrs. Goldwasser, but not just 15:27  |  Tulip 19/06/08
      11.   Common sense 15:39  |  ClearCut 19/06/08
      12.   If they kidnap another, we should kidnap 500 of them 15:40  |  Dan 19/06/08
      13.   With all due respect to a mother`s pain 15:44  |  Arie 19/06/08
      14.   Dan: Israel kidnaps people daily. You`ve just been brainwashed 16:01  |  POP 19/06/08
      15.   Hezbollah 16:14  |  patrick 19/06/08
      16.   Mother Goldwasser helps Nasralla 16:24  |  Fred McCann 19/06/08
      17.   Israeli Weakness 16:25  |  Slappy 19/06/08
      18.   How sick are you #15? 16:34  |  .. 19/06/08
      19.   You want Kuntar send a live signal from the soldiers 16:38  |  Yosi 19/06/08
      20.   It`s Clear From The Message Boards 17:17  |  Tex 19/06/08
      21.   Why don`t we just get up and leave because we lost the will to 17:34  |  Pervert 19/06/08
      22.   #15 patrick 18:01  |  Marc 19/06/08
      23.   No sign of life 18:14  |  Dror 19/06/08
      24.   AN open letter to Mrs Goldwasser. 18:56  |  Robert/Montreal 19/06/08
      25.   Regardless Hizbolla will kidnap again 19:12  |  Ilan 19/06/08
      26.   WATCH OUT MOTHERS 19:50  |  indrajaya 19/06/08
      27.   Kuntar 20:08  |  zeew 19/06/08
      28.   COURAGEOUS PRIME MINISTER / s EHUD OLMERT 20:10  |  H.H.M. 19/06/08
      29.   DEAR MRS GOLDWASSER 20:10  |  LJF-CANADA 19/06/08
      30.   clear cut 20:14  |  Connie 19/06/08
      31.   indrajaja 20:19  |  Connie 19/06/08
      32.   Hezbollah will kidnap again 20:23  |  Steve Gure 19/06/08
      33.   Connie 20:36  |  ClearCut 19/06/08
      34.   Common Sense 20:41  |  Walid 19/06/08
      35.   Patrick 20:53  |  Walid 19/06/08
      36.   Clear Cut 21:07  |  Connie 19/06/08
      37.   Pop 21:17  |  Walid 19/06/08
      38.   Israel v. Kuntar... re: #34 21:24  |  Common Sense 19/06/08
      39.   Tulip 21:29  |  Walid 19/06/08
      40.   #33 21:54  |  Jane 19/06/08
      41.   Common Sense 23:28  |  Walid 19/06/08
      42.   What is going on here? 00:00  |  David 20/06/08
      43.   Yoy are absolutely wrong, mrs. Goldwasser! 00:01  |  VLAD 20/06/08
      44.   RECIPROCITY -- TURN VICIOUS CIRCLES INTO VIRTUOUS ONES 01:22  |  Mohamed MALLECK 20/06/08
      45.   To #34 Nice try, Walid! 05:17  |  VLAD 20/06/08
      46.   Clickfool 2 ISRAELIS = 1000 ARABES 17:09  |  RW 20/06/08
      47.   Arabs: JEALOUSY, JEALOUSY, JEALOUSY 17:35  |  RW 20/06/08
      48.   Mrs, Goldwasser 07:20  |  Esther 29/06/08
      49.   Hezbollah will kidnap again 16:41  |  Steve Gure 29/06/08
      50.   Mrs G is right, returning Kuntar would have prevented YK War 18:10  |  Jonathan 29/06/08
     Read & React
    German prof.: Israeli athletes willfully sacrificed themselves in Munich massacre
    Responses: 104
    Cabinet approves Hezbollah prisoner exchange
    Responses: 103
    Harel and Issacharoff: Five myths about prisoner swaps
    Responses: 33
    Former Israeli spymaster: Israel has one year to bomb Iran
    Responses: 85
    Rosner's Domain
    When Sheldon Adelson met Bush (WTR)
    Poll: Hezbollah swap - good or bad?
    Can Israel legally strike Iran with nukes?
    Is Time's Joe Klein being honest when he criticizes Joe Lieberman?
    "The war in Iraq was inevitable" (WTR)


    More Headlines
    16:44 Olmert: We know for sure captive troops are dead
    18:11 Regev, Goldwasser families: Close swap deal quickly
    17:53 What does it mean? An outline of the prisoner exchange deal
    10:13 ANALYSIS / Five myths about prisoner swaps
    16:27 Former Israeli spymaster: We have year to hit Iran nukes
    15:45 Hamas won't recognize Abbas presidency past January 2009
    14:07 Israeli film wins people's choice award at Moscow Film Festival
    10:12 Report: Hamas rejects Israeli bid to free 450 prisoners for Shalit
    12:32 Israel reopens Gaza crossings after closures over Qassams
    07:14 Bereaved father: Who will protect my sons once terrorists are released?
    13:30 VIDEO: Amy Winehouse's explosive performance at Glastonbury
    18:04 Israel, Italy sign air traffic deal paving way for lower fares
    13:38 Kiryat Motzkin man suspected in mother's attempted mercy killing
    12:46 Palestinians: Israeli troops kill teenager in West Bank
    Previous Editions
    Special Offers
    Advertisement
    SAVE TALIA!
    and hundreds of cancer patients around the world
    Holyland Park
    Jerusalem Apartment Tower World Class Luxury
    In the heart of Tel-Aviv