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Last update - 23:03 22/06/2008
Hezbollah wants Palestinians included in prisoner swap
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent and Haaretz Service
Tags: Hezbollah 

Hezbollah has renewed its demand for the release of Palestinian prisoners as part of an exchange with Israel that would see the return of two Israeli reservist soldiers snatched in a raid across the Israel-Lebanon border almost two years ago.

The Hezbollah demand was presented to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday by Israeli negotiator Ofer Dekel, after being passed on by the German team mediating the swap efforts.

Israel strongly opposes the demand to release Palestinians - a message it passed on to the mediation team some two months ago.
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Olmert held consultations on Sunday with defense officials, ahead of approving the deal with Hezbollah to return kidnapped soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser.

Security sources told Haaretz that previous reports notwithstanding, Defense Minister Ehud Barak supported the outlines of the proposed deal. Most other ministers are also said to favor the swap.

Still, many defense officials - most prominently Mossad chief Meir Dagan - oppose advancing the deal, fearing the future of implications of swapping live prisoners for soldiers' bodies.

A senior official in the Prime Minister's Bureau said on Sunday the deal with Hezbollah would not be completed this week. An internal cabinet meeting has been set for Wednesday, but a deal with Hezbollah will not be on the agenda. "Even if a vote is taken this week, it will take a few more weeks until the deal is complete," the source said.

A government source close to talks with Hezbollah said Israel is still demanding clear information on the soldiers' condition before a swap can be approved. If they are dead, a possibility based on the soldiers' injuries at the time of the abduction, Israel would be releasing live terrorists - reportedly Hezbollah operatives captured in the Second Lebanon War and terrorist Samir Kuntar - for dead bodies.

A government source said most of the ministers supported the deal even if the soldiers are not alive.

Related articles:
  • Most ministers back Hezbollah prisoner swap
  • PMO: Prisoner exchange with Hezbollah not likely next week
  • Mother of missing soldier: Hezbollah will kidnap again if Kuntar not returned
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      1.   You can`t trust Hezbullah`s promises 19:11  |  x-ray 22/06/08
      2.   demands from the murderers 19:17  |  Shmuelshachor 22/06/08
      3.   Prisoner Swap 19:49  |  Omar 22/06/08
      4.   Shameful gamble about two murdered soldiers 19:51  |  Jonathan S 22/06/08
      5.   yea,and i want someone in this forum to buy me a new motorcycle 19:51  |  terrornator 22/06/08
      6.   so low in it`s standing in Lebanon it is trying to gain somepride 20:04  |  J 22/06/08
      7.   Fool me once........... 20:07  |  Avrum 22/06/08
      8.   Israel`s Government - where is your spine? 20:11  |  David 22/06/08
      9.   alarming? 20:12  |  Moshe 22/06/08
      10.   Olmert will be haunted by this tragedy for the rest of his days. 20:31  |  Freethinker 22/06/08
      11.   No Avrum, it is the other way around 20:32  |  Pervert 22/06/08
      12.   We should beat the Hezbullah to the ground 21:15  |  Jean Van Daem 22/06/08
      13.   prisoner swap 21:31  |  Edithann 22/06/08
      14.   We need a war 21:31  |  JP 22/06/08
      15.   What a dumb deal 21:46  |  Joseph 22/06/08
      16.   Hezbollah doesn`t care if Lebanese prisoners 21:53  |  Maura 22/06/08
      17.   Israel could have been a contender # 12 22:00  |  Clickfool 22/06/08
      18.   There is no difference between terrorist soldiers and 22:14  |  KMS 22/06/08
      19.   When you are dealing with animals... 22:21  |  Maurice 22/06/08
      20.   clickfool,is being a contender what you called it when the 22:44  |  terrornator 22/06/08
      21.   This is the WEAK image of Israel which Olmert 23:05  |  The Threadmill 22/06/08
      22.   # 6 Lebanese also wish the shiites 23:06  |  Lynn 22/06/08
      23.   Olmert and Bush in cahoots, so... 23:07  |  Jim 22/06/08
      24.   # 13 Edithann....maybe the Arab States 23:09  |  Lynn 22/06/08
      25.   israel should pay dearly... 23:10  |  northern neighbor 22/06/08
      26.   #19 - no access to prisoners by Red Cross? 23:16  |  Bear 22/06/08
      27.   Israeli Soldiers are obviously dead 23:19  |  Mary P 22/06/08
      28.   A great rebuttal to Clikfool 23:29  |  Sam C 22/06/08
      29.   #14 JP not satisfied 23:33  |  Jim 22/06/08
      30.   CFOOLIt was Arabs rushing for a ceasefire not Israel in Lebanon 23:33  |  PETER SM 22/06/08
      31.   Constraints 23:36  |  Jane 22/06/08
      32.   The Lebanese paid in blood for Goldwasser and Regev 23:36  |  Natallie Durson 22/06/08
      33.   These deals are insane... 23:50  |  dyinglikeflies 22/06/08
      34.   Hey Durson, grow-up 23:52  |  Shai 22/06/08
      35.   Terrornator re Clicky, its true , they show they cowardice 23:53  |  JP 22/06/08
      36.   Natallie Durson 32 23:57  |  alan 22/06/08
      37.   Nazilie Durson is wrong one more time. Hizbullah did it for 00:00  |  JP 23/06/08
      38.   Lebanese owe the Israelis this deal 00:06  |  Margaret Connell 23/06/08
      39.   The Lebanese paid in blood for Goldwasser and Regev 00:09  |  Waldo 23/06/08
      40.   WHAT A SURPRISE!!! 00:19  |  Brant 23/06/08
      41.   @10, freethinker. olmert is giving his country as criminals 00:24  |  vladimir 23/06/08
      42.   Natallie Durson is mentally off 00:38  |  Jane 23/06/08
      43.   Natallie Durson 00:43  |  TonyL 23/06/08
      44.   #1 Hah! seems they learned a lot fromt he israelis 01:04  |  FalluJah 23/06/08
      45.   JANE`S EXCELLENT IDEA 01:06  |  Brant 23/06/08
      46.   HIZBULLAH IS THE ONLY HOPE 01:08  |  indrajaya 23/06/08
      47.   DURSON Lebanon Started their war by bombing Israeli civillians 01:24  |  PETER SM 23/06/08
      48.   Bones for Kuntar? No! 01:26  |  Fred McCann 23/06/08
      49.   THE Iranian puppets are seeking to spread Shiite influence 01:28  |  PETER SM 23/06/08
      50.   #26 Bear 01:50  |  Elianah 23/06/08
      51.   Lebanon owes this to Israel 02:13  |  Margaret Connell 23/06/08
      52.   EdithAnn in the long road of history the Arabs have 02:20  |  Steve -nyc 23/06/08
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