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IDF rabbi to rule if Regev, Goldwasser are dead By Amos Harel and Barak Ravid The chief military rabbi, Brigadier General Avihai Ronsky, began deliberations yesterday on whether the kidnapped soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev can be declared killed in action. He will judge based on intelligence information and Jewish law. Sources close to the talks with Hezbollah over a deal to release the two soldiers from Lebanon say the move means the deal is off. Advertisement The soldiers' families criticized the move and demanded that Olmert quickly bring the deal to a cabinet vote. (See Story, Page 2) Over the past few days, after an agreement with Hezbollah seemed close, a delay ensued for reasons not fully known. But yesterday it became clear that it was Olmert who was holding back and that a process was beginning to declare the two soldiers dead. Defense officials said that even if Ronsky determines that Goldwasser and Regev are dead, IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi will still support the prisoner swap as an obligation to the families and a relatively "cheap" deal for Israel because there is no obligation to release Palestinian prisoners. Miki Goldwasser, the mother of Ehud Goldwasser, said: "Why now, when the deal is done and there's nothing better, is somebody is trying to torpedo it, and Olmert for his own reasons, political or otherwise, isn't in a hurry to approve it?" Benny Regev, Eldad's brother, said: "Unfortunately it looks like the deal isn't going to happen. It's no secret that at the base of this deal is the claim that their [the soldiers'] being alive is not certain. Still, we think most of the ministers would have supported it." Karnit Goldwasser, Ehud Goldwasser's wife, said: "We had to beg the ministers to support the deal. At the end of the day we got a call that the file is with the military rabbi. This is a humiliating day for Israel." Goldwasser told Haaretz that Olmert's considerations were mainly security, while the ministers had a wider agenda that took the total significance of an end to the affair into consideration. Olmert is said to be delaying the deal because of objections by Mossad head Meir Dagan and Shin Ben head Yuval Diskin to an agreement to release the terrorist Samir Kuntar without knowing what Israel will hear in return on the fate of missing airman Ron Arad. Kuntar remained in Israel's hands as a bargaining chip after the release of Elhanan Tennenbaum in 2004. An arrangement seemed to be in the making recently for Hezbollah to deliver a detailed report on Arad, although it had not been able to solve the mystery. Israel now wants to know the nature of that report, and on Diskin and Dagan's recommendation, Olmert wants to hold back the deal until this point is clarified. In exchange for the report, Israel will reportedly give Hezbollah information on the fate of four Lebanese diplomats who disappeared in Lebanon in 1982, and apparently were murdered by Christian Phalangists. Another issue that has resurfaced over the past few days involves Palestinian prisoners. Although no official word has reached the media, prisoners negotiator Ofer Dekel told the Goldwasser and Regev families last week that Israel is expected to agree to release a few dozen Palestinian prisoners of its choosing, to be presented as a gesture to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, represented by German negotiator Gerhard Konrad. However, sources close to the deal said yesterday that this issue was not a major hindrance to the deal, and that the main issue was over the information about Arad. The sources said it was likely that Olmert would delay approval of the deal and prevent it coming up for debate in the cabinet. "This is very serious," Ehud Goldwasser's father Udi said. "It means Olmert's playing his cards close to his chest and not sharing information with the ministers." Olmert is traveling to Sharm el-Sheikh this morning to meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The two leaders will discuss the renewal of mediation efforts by Egypt on a deal with Hamas to free captured soldier Gilad Shalit. Yuval Azoulay, Jack Khoury and Nadav Shragai contributed to this article. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Gilad's tale VIDEO: U.S. kids read abducted soldier's story of co-existence. Leaving Torah behind Study finds religion is not very important to American Jews.

Read & React Cabinet to vote Sun. on Hezbollah deal, says wife of abducted soldier Responses: 268 Editorial: We must pay the high price for the return of Gilad Shalit Responses: 101 Gaza truce shaken as four Qassams slam in Negev Responses: 224 Poll: 77% of Israeli Arabs would rather live in Israel than in any other country Responses: 225 Border Policeman dies from self-inflicted shot at Sarkozy farewell Responses: 141 More Headlines 00:09 Cabinet to vote Sun. on Hezbollah deal, says wife of abducted soldier 23:43 Border cop dies from self-inflicted shot at Sarkozy farewell 02:03 Negotiator heading back to Cairo for indirect talks on Shalit 22:52 VIDEO: Two years after his kidnap, U.S. kids read Gilad Shalit's tale of co-existence 21:12 Olmert: Israel mulling response to renewed Qassam fire 20:33 World Wealth Report: People in Israel get richer faster 18:46 Religion is not very important to American Jews 01:38 Professor Gabriela Shalev nominated as new UN ambassador 22:51 Paris prosecutors open probe into beating of Jewish teen 00:05 Knesset approves law allowing property owners to kill intruders 18:53 Hamas prisoners freed in West Bank, despite PA pledge to Israel 20:57 Lawyers ask Spanish court to charge 4 alleged ex-guards at Nazi camps Previous Editions Select Day 24 jun 23 jun 22 jun 20 jun 19 jun 18 jun 17 jun 16 jun 15 jun 13 jun 12 jun 11 jun

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