Israel, Hamas reach Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange deal, officials say
Announcement by Netanyahu's office comes before planned emergency cabinet meeting to discuss the details of a deal geared at securing the release of the abducted IDF soldier.
By Barak Ravid, Avi Issacharoff and Jack Khoury Tags: Gilad Shalit IDF Hamas Gaza Shalit swapIsrael and Hamas have reached a prisoner exchange deal that will secure the release of abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, officials at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Tuesday.
Officials in the Prime Minister's Office said that "a brief window of opportunity has been opened that would possibly lead to Gilad Shalit's homecoming," adding: "The window appeared following fears that collapsing Mideast regimes and the rise of extremist forces would make Gilad Shalit's return impossible."
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IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, captured by Hamas in 2006. |
| Photo by: Archive |
The officials' comment came following a report by Al-Arabiya, according to which a deal has indeed been reached between Israel and Hamas geared at the release of the IDF soldier, in Hamas captivity in Gaza since 2006.
Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak are meeting several ministers in the Prime Minister's Office in order to pressure them into voting for the deal, with Netanyahu aides estimating that the deal will be approved by the cabinet,
Special attention is reportedly being given to Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman no to vote against the deal along with ministers from his Yisrael Beiteinu party. Several Likud ministers who have voiced opposition to freeing terrorists in exchange for Shalit are also being pushed to approve the deal.
Netanyahu called an emergency cabinet meeting scheduled for later Tuesday in which ministers are to discuss the status of talks geared at securing Shalit's release.
Speaking with Haaertz, one Egyptian official said: "After 64 months of tough negotiations we were able to complete the deal. It was a very difficult task, which included thousands of hours of negotiations."
Also on Tuesday, top Egyptian officials confimed to Haaretz that there had been significant progress in the attempts to strike a prisoner exchange deal that would lead to Shalit's release.
The officials confirmed that an Israeli delegation, headed by the head of Shalit negotiations David Meidan, was in Cairo to indirectly discuss the details of a possible deal with the chief of Hamas' military wing Ahmed Al-Jabari.
Similarly to previous rounds of Shalit talks, the indirect talks are overseen by Egyptian intelligence, headed by intelligence chief General Murad Muwafi and his aides.
Egyptian officials have also said that a the deal which has been reached in recent days also includes accused Israeli spy Ilan Garpal.
Activists linked to Palestinian prisoner rights in Israel have also indicated that a recent hunger strike amid those prisoners in Israeli jails was linked to the protest move, as well as the reason Hamas prisoners did not join the strike.
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How many Israelis will the released kill? Hamas will just try and kidnap another soldier. Will the killer who slit the the Fogel baby's throat be released in the next round? Why increase the popularity of Hamas at the cost of the PLO? Abbas, not Mashaal, is the chance for peace.
Out of the top Hamas men released, it's most likely that most of them will return to planning new attacks against Israel. What shall we say to the families of the victims perpetrated by those attacks? Sorry Mr. Netanyahu... you just hit a whole new low...
i am happy for the palestinian ,they have been suffring for long time and the occupation should end ,1027 palesitnian presnors wellcome back ,i can imagen them famils too when they see the great people ever comes out ,wellcom shalit back to your family but dont try to go back the IOF
israel is happy
and more
we are proud of them
may the deal go through
congratulation to both Glad familly and 1027 palestinian's families. it might be a good step to start a new era. in the regin
At long last!! I have been praying for Gilad for all these years. Now it is a reality.
The Israeli people honourable dedication to every last soldier's life is very admirable!
It helps Hamas as a "peace maker" so it can have a leading role in any Palestinian State which may evolve.
A thousand terrorists back to the Palestinians does not increase Israel's risk that much, considering that there are hundreds of thousands that are copycats. Maybe 0.1% higher risk. And there are always UAVs if push comes to shove.
Fingers crossed.
WE ALL PRAY FOR THIS TO BE NOW,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
havent we heard that you cannot talk with terrorists? pathetic lies!
I would not like to be in the Prime Minister's place when the first Israeli is murdered by one of the released terrorists. Nor in the place of the supporters of this prisoner exchange, when the the next murder takes place; and the one after that, and the one after that and the one after that. And who will look the families in the eye and say "'your loved one's life was worth less than the life of another"? Sorry to paint such a scenario at this time of great rejoicing. But not facing up to reality doesn't mean that it will not happen.
Our government sent gilat to the front, and that same government has an obligation to bring him back. Now every single israeli soldier knows this. Let the shabak deal with the released terrorists. Believe me they will deal with them. The guy jas suffered enough and its time to bring him home!!!
about time family shalit enjoy your son'have been praying for you since!!!
Which planet do you live on? Israel has alwys honoured her end of these massively lopsided deals. there is no 'big question' here at all apart from the obvious one, 'are you simple or just malicious'.?
agreement ?
Not sure if Isreal will honour anything, but I have every confidence that Israel will for sure.
Israel has never not honored such a deal, the Palestinians on the other hand have routinely broken their word.
I thanks god for his realease home,he is a man fight for our freedom.god bless
As an ISraeli i welcome the return of Gilat. Enough is enough. The price is high, but the goverment sent this guy to the front, and the government has an obligation to bring him home. I am quite sure the released terrorists will and. An be dealt with later. Welcome home gilat
Bibi did it!!!!
shame on the world for allowing that while condemning Israel for not making peace with and releasing hundreds of terrorists.
I cant help but cry and i can imagine Gilad mum and dad and all the family waiting anxiuosly.God be praised
From this article looks like Israel had opportunities to return him before but did not try to hard to negotiate. Now due to changes in regimes, Israel is willing to negotiate and seize this "window of opportunity".
Welcome home Gilad FB PAGE http://www.facebook.com/pages/Welcome-Home-Gilad-Shalit/289316007763860
And I can't imagine the grief and heartbrake of all those Israeli mothers at hearing that the murderers who killed their sone, husbands and fathers are now being freed from justified imprisonment in order to secure the release of a soldier kidnapped and held against international law and in contravention of the Geneva Accords.
I hope to god he comes back alive as soon as possible.
de France
Odd, isn't it, that Israel has 10,000 Palestinians in jail, yet the capture of just one of their own people is considered so terrible. I thought all people were born equal, but clearly not in Israel's eyes.
Gilad was kidnapped, the prisoners in jail are murderers and criminals. How can you compare? Israel doesn't go in and kidnap innocent 18yr old boys and not allow visits from the red cross, family or ANYONE!! So the 10,000 Pals deserve to be there. Hopefully they will all join on the hunger strike!
Gilad did his job. Israel normally only jails criminals. Criminals = not humans.
To GMB: The 10,000 [?] Palestinians in Israel jails are there because they have committed crimes - mostly murder. Gilad Shalit did NOT commit any crime at all but was kidnapped - itself a heinous crime.
The Palestinians in Israeli prisions are there because they commited crimes INSIDE Israel, were judged in courts and can be visited by relatives or international activists to monitor their condition. Shalit was kiddnaped INSIDE Israel in a murderous attack by Palestinian fanatics, had not commited any crimes, was not judged by any legitimate court (not even a Palestinian one) and cannot be visited by anybody.
The Palestinians in Israeli prisions are there because they commited crimes INSIDE Israel, were judged in courts and can be visited by relatives or international activists to monitor their condition. Shalit was kiddnaped INSIDE Israel in a murderous attack by Palestinian fanatics, had not commited any crimes, was not judged by any legitimate court (not even a Palestinian one) and cannot be visited by anybody.
actually the 10,000 are in prison which is something that happens to criminals the world over. Gilad is not in prison. He was kidnapped and help in an underground bunker where not even the red cross has been allowed to see him...
Gilad was an armed soldier. Do his crimes against Palestinians make him less of a criminal simply because he followed orders? He fought for a cause, just as much as his Palestinian "ennemies" did. Don't get me wrong, I am very very happy that Gilad is soon going to be back with his family - but I disagree when it comes to declaring him "innocent". He is just as much innocent or guilty as the Palestinians are. Terrorism depends on the perspective - to the Palestinians, Israel is the terrorist and vice versa. The Palestinian prisoners also have mothers, just like Gilad, who are waiting for their sons to come home.
All those 10000 Palestinians in Israel's jails are criminals! How about thousands of palestinian children it has kept in jails. If you brand them terrorists then Gilad too is. I wonder people try to say Gilad is only a child doing his duty. well yeah he was doing his duty of accupying others lands and stealing their wealth.Anyways Israel doesnt undertsand except when its spoken with force.
deserve to be there? How do you know they're ALL criminals?
exercising their right of resistance. Which includes taking one of the enemy as a prisoner of war.
Another report says 450-100 prisoners will be swapped for Shalit. Yep, sounds like about the right value ratio.
If alive we should release the terrorists alive but he G-d forbid he is DOA or crippled the transport carrying the prisoners should be blown up.
If Gilad Shalit is not alive and well, there is no exchange, period. We have already given up too many criminals in exchange for dead bodies.
The price pai is the original Hamas demands. I wonder why the Schalits have to wait so long for their beloved son. Incompetency of Israeli Leadership !!!!
Now we'll see that Israel keeps its word and lifts the seige on Gaza. Not.
...its the thousands of rockets hamas is smuggling into gaza and the firing of those rockets at israeli cities. the minute has stops smuggling rockets, and puts down their arms not only will israel lift the blockage but it will be Gaza's biggest trading partner like it was before Hamas took over.
Hamas is lucky Israel agreed to even this deal.
Israelis will demand another thing. They will never lift the blockade, no matter how many concessions Hamas makes. But posters like Mark will keep making these ridiculous statements to make it seem that Israel's criminal blockade is all Hamas's fault.
THIS IS NOTHING SHORT OF ISRAEL PLACING THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE ON THE GIFT OF LIFE OVER EVERYTHING ELSE... NOTHING SHORT OF CELEBRATING LIFE RATHER THAN GLORIFYING DEATH AND DESTRUCTION
That would be Jewish life, Jeff - right? Other lives don't appear to be all that important.
As a mother, I want Shalit to come home, it is definitely overdue and i hope this is not just hype. As an Iraeli, I am not pro trade off, not this time or ever in the future. let's see what happens...
There are 1400 Palestinian mothers feeling equally. Free all Palestinian prisoners and work for a true peace deal.
Are you serious
they are so criminals as in sweeden's prisons. You let all those criminals free and then we start talking about criminals in israel's prison, you moron
Our boy is coming home! Baruch Hashem!
Well done to the legitimate Palestinian resistance. Israel understands only one language, resistance , and it does work.
I hope that one day you will face the same "legitimate resistance" as Shalit. We will all be praising the pal terrorists then and celebrating!
1000 terrorists for Shalit means that there will be many more Shalits in the future- and dead Jews. Terror pays.
I am so happy for Gilad's familly and so sad for Israel. How much did we pay, how many terrorists do we have to free, how many murderers of children, how many terrorists. Whilst I congratulate Gilad's family I cry about what will happen now, When my eldest son was drafted to the IDF I vowed that I would Support him as much as I could, but never against Israel. I sincerely hope that his parents, friends, and him will not do the wrong thing and act against Israel. Hamas did not release him because they are nice people. Gilad will be broken, he has suffered torture, indoctrination and now needs too be quiet, sleep, with his parents, his girl friend. Later he can be interrogated, not now.
he knew the risks he would not want to hand the pals a victory at this time certainly not at this price
price is to high he is a stick to beat the pals with at this vital time, victory for abbass if true
Mr Netanyahu plays Hamas against Abbas because, as Hamas, he likes better the status quo than a Palestinan state. This should remind you the Israeli government playing Hamas against Yasser Arafat some years ago. In French we call that "la politique du pire"
coming home.
Coming home to plan more murders.
full of settlers and extremists will never pass it I am afraid.
good deal for abbass!!! prisoner release and stumbling block removed from europeans conscience he keeps nudging this whole state process forward
i prey he gets home safe and soon, greatest news I've heard in a long time <3
Israel has no right to release hundreds of murderous blood thirsty terrorist swines,who as soon as they are released will continue to murder men women and children, there is a very simple and secure way to get the release of Shalit,just shut down the water and electricity to Gaza untill his release,guaranteed that within 36 hours Shalit is home
Sooner or later released terrorists will get what they deserved... It's just the matter of time.
Have you got any more bright ideas?
i like your comment: it shows the world how israel plans to behave with a palestinian state.
Bring him home ,let the rabid right wing amongst us jews think about peace and his family instead of their usual self righteous ,god fearing rhetoric
Easy to talk from Brooklyn......these rightwingers from far make me sick
I am as heavy hearted as you are, but the Prime Minister has a duty to return Gilead to his family. I do hope that Zahal and the police will do everything in their power to prevent those terrorists of harming Israeli citizens, and blow them up if necessary, should they return to terrorism, punishing Gaza or the Palestinian Authority, as the case may be. We have to rejoice with the Family, but warn any Arab country, that this will never happen again and that we will find those responsible of any terrorist act as fiercely as we can.
Cowards who push the firing button on a rocket and run like Hell, caring more for their own skins than where the rocket lands. It takes cojones to aim your weapon and keep that aim until it hits the target--cojones that terrorists don't have. As long as they produce weapons with no target-seeking qualities, they will be failures. As long as they keep hiding behind women and children and shooting in the general of Iraeli soldiers, they will be failures. As long as the only way they can kill Israelis is by blowing themselves up in the midst of a crowd of civilians, they will be failures.
6 year old bottle of bubbly awaits.....
and I hope to learn more from Channel 1 News this evening. I've got my fingers Star of Davided.
Even more interesting is that even today at tehe EU the Knesset Speaker was pointing at Shalit and saying can't do a deal about a Palestinian State until he is released. Having growing respect for the Palestinian Political Elite, not onl are they going to get the freedom of a thousand Palestinians, but they remove the only bargaining chip israel have to deny the Palestinian their vote in the UN.
shalit was their biggest bargain, palestinians should have kept shalit until israel accept a palestinian state.
Israel will accept a palestinian state the arabs and muslims wont accept a Jewish state
So the palestinians should build a state based on blackmail regarding a prisoner? Yeah lets do that!
How can we trust that the Hamas will keep their word?
Kill the Hamas and there dog
Maybe you should be asking that of Israel. Whenever a deal is 'close to being reached' a few Hamas related folks blow up for no apparent reason while driving their cars etc.... Look to Israel for keeping their word too in this instance.
Congrat to both side and espacially Gilad's parents!
I hope the young soldier returns unharmed. all my respect and love to him and his family.
A case of Israel moving prisoners from one jail to another.
I will believe it when I see it...thank you very much!
I've said this before, yet Haaretz censors it. Shalit is to valuable a card for Hammas to release, and Israel needs him to stay where he is for propaganda purposes. Perhaps this time Haaretz will publish my post. They know it's the truth. This government will only do what it takes for Shalit's release, say if they were low in the polls close to an election, or for some other reason that would give them political capital.
But you are right that he has provided excellent propaganda fuel for Netanyahu. If he were killed or if this deal fails, Netanyahu will profit. 90% says you are right that nothing happens. A surge in military activity is overdue and will probably end this deal.
Bibi, make the deal and do not screw up this one like everything you touch .....
Am no fan of bibi, but it looks like from here that gilat is coming home, so i take my hat off to bibi and that is a first for me!
may gilad shalit and his family be blessed
may all Palestinian prisoners and their families be blessed
Yes may Gilad and his family be blessed. And why would anyone have any blessings for pal terrorists in Israeli prisons? You are really sick habibi.
May all Palestinian innocents be blessed. May all Palestinian prisoners serving time for atrocities committed, be cursed!
Lets hope this is behind us!