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Last update - 14:55 25/06/2008 Seal swap deal or price will rise, says Hezbollah-linked daily By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent Tags: Al-Akhbar, Hezbollah, Israel  A Lebanese newspaper editor apparently familiar with Hezbollah's thinking warned Wednesday that if the prisoner swap with Israel is not consummated soon, the Shi'ite organization will increase its asking price for the two Israeli soldiers it has held captive since July 2006. The cabinet will vote on the prisoner exchange deal with Hezbollah during its weekly meeting on Sunday, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Tuesday in a meeting with Karnit Goldwasser, wife of one of the two captive reservists. The families of the abducted soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, had been pressuring Olmert to bring the matter to a cabinet vote, and plan to convince the ministers to support the deal. The prime minister said he has not yet decided whether he supports the swap. Advertisement "What is clear now is the room to maneuver has been shut completely," Ibrahim al-Amin, the editor in chief of Al-Akhbar wrote in an article appearing in Wednesday's edition. "Israel stands before its only opportunity in the coming days, and if it loses it, then the resistance [Hezbollah] will not view itself as obligated to compromise. Rather it will have a chance to enhance its terms in a thousand ways." Al-Amin's article is viewed as Hezbollah's response to recent media reports in Israel indicating that the Israel Defense Forces has taken steps towards declaring the two abducted soldiers, Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, dead. The article poses some contradictions to Israel's reports on the swap deal. Israel has stated that as part of the deal, which is essentially closed and has been put into writing, it will to release four Hezbollah militants who were taken captive during the Second Lebanon War; Samir Kuntar, who has been imprisoned since 1979, when he killed the members of the Haran family in Nahariya; and the remains of eight Lebanese citizens buried in Israel. Al-Amin said, however, that the draft deal includes freeing Palestinians and other prisoners - not just the four Lebanese claimed for release by Israel. Israel had said it would release some Palestinians but only after the rest of the deal takes place and Goldwasser and Regev are returned to Israel. The release of the Palestinians will be described as a humanitarian gesture, it said. Al-Amin wrote in his article that as part of the deal, Israel is obligated to clarify what became of the Lebanese hostages who disappeared in 1982, including civilian Yehyeh Sakhaf, who Hezbollah and Iran claim is being held in Israel. The article also said that as part of the deal, Israel must transfer to Hezbollah maps detailing the locations of land mines and cluster bombs left over during the war. According to Al-Amin, Israel could have advanced negotiations for the release of Goldwasser and Regev in return for Kuntar alone, immediately after the abduction in 2006. After the war, the price for the exchange would have be increased to include Kuntar as well as Lebanese prisoners jailed in Israel. With regard to recent reports that Israeli intelligence weeks ago concluded that the abducted soldiers were dead, Al-Amin said German mediators had learned of this assumption months ago. According to Al-Amin, Israeli sources told the German that it was ready to make the declaration in order to "extort" Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah into relaxing his criteria for the swap. Al-Amin said Nasrallahr responded to the news by saying: "Olmert can do what he wants. He will return to negotiations, whether declaring them dead or not." Related articles: Yossi Melman: Israel's spymasters are bullying the families of abducted soldiers Father of soldier held by Hezbollah: Process to declare two soldiers dead is halted Israel's spymasters concluded weeks ago: Troops seized by Hezbollah are dead Hezbollah wants Palestinians included in prisoner swap Bookmark to del.icio.us   Bridging the gap A flashy addition to Jerusalem's entrance merges the old and the new. Two years later Captive soldiers' families lash out during ceremony marking Shalit's kidnapping.   1.   To Nasrallah 13:13  |  Maurice 25/06/08   2.   Hezbollah should tell everyone if the soliders are alive or not. 13:23  |  s 25/06/08   3.   So raise the price 13:26  |  dyinglikeflies 25/06/08   4.   No terrorist for dead bodies 13:45  |  Steve 25/06/08   5.   Experts? 13:45  |  Jim 25/06/08   6.   Pay back with the same currency! 13:55  |  ScotGuy 25/06/08   7.   It works both ways 14:32  |  DC 25/06/08   8.   #1 Steve 14:51  |  Ramius 25/06/08   9.   re: Hezbollah should tell everyone if the soliders are alive or n 15:04  |  reverse of s 25/06/08   10.   It works both ways 15:08  |  reverse of DC 25/06/08   11.   to syed hassan nasrallah 15:25  |  meir 25/06/08   12.   No Release for Mad-dog Kuntar! 15:43  |  utagawa 25/06/08   13.   Hizballah is buckling. they know that Israel called their bluff 16:09  |  Richard S 25/06/08   14.   better idea: go in and kill every member of hiz. 20:17  |  frenz 25/06/08   15.   TERRORIST BODY BARTERING 12:48  |  FLUFFY 26/06/08

Read & React Israel to give Egypt new proposals for Shalit swap Responses: 32 Israel and Hezbollah ready to sign on prisoner swap deal Responses: 25 Nadav Shragai: Bring Golan to referendum or expect another Gush Katif Responses: 18 Israel Harel: Banking on a cease-fire while the fire hasn't ceased Responses: 9 Rosner's Domain "Israel's Supreme Court illegitimately extending its sway over military decisions" 1 out of 5 Israelis wants to leave the country (WTR) Religion is not very important to American Jews Poll: exchange deal with Hezbollah, good or bad? Why do non-Jewish Americans support Israel? More Headlines 13:38 Week into cease-fire, fifth Qassam strikes Negev 14:24 Report: Israel prefers Hamas prisoners be released to Gaza, not West Bank 10:59 Israel and Hezbollah ready to sign on prisoner swap deal 10:49 French sources: Syria ready to 'reconsider' its ties with Iran 13:54 Amid skepticism, Israeli Arab teaches Palestinians about the Holocaust 12:49 Rightist hackers embed nationalist symbols on pro-Palestinian Web sites 14:27 A new Haredi reality show makes 'American Idol' kosher 14:06 Police arrest man whose twin impersonated him to flee arrest 14:05 Figures show municipalities are primary pollution source in Israel 10:51 Kadima sources: Olmert can't afford not to run in primary 13:47 Despite protests, Gay Parade to march through central Jerusalem 11:32 Plans underway for November Mideast peace summit in Moscow 07:33 Olmert aide: Cross-examination of Talansky won't stir sensation Previous Editions Select Day 25 jun 24 jun 23 jun 22 jun 20 jun 19 jun 18 jun 17 jun 16 jun 15 jun 13 jun 12 jun

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