Report: Egyptian sources say Shalit deal imminent

Egyptian sources told the London-based Arab newspaper Al Hayat that a prisoner swap deal is likely to be achieved before outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert leaves office.

Talks between Israel and Hamas on the release of captured Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit have been suspended after the parties failed to agree on the number of prisoners due to be released in exchange for Shalit.

The sources said that Israel walked out on the negotiations in order to pressure Hamas, and that a decision to terminate the talks has not yet been taken.

Hamas official Osama Hamdan has said that the organization's delegation has not left Cairo and is prepared to resume the talks.

On Thursday, senior Gaza Hamas leader Salah al-Bardawil told Haaretz that Israel is responsible for stopping the talks.

According to Bardawil, an escalation of measures against Palestinian prisoners, as Israel has threatened in response to the stalemate, will not improve the situation.

"Taking away televisions and radios will not help the talks," he said. "We believe [Prime Minister Ehud] Olmert is trying to hand the problem over to [Prime Minister-designate Benjamin] Netanyahu unresolved."

Bardawil added that Hamas must demand the release of the prisoners Israel announced it would not release.

This echoed comments by senior Hamas official Mahmoud al-Zahar. Bardawil said there was pressure from those prisoners' families and Hamas cannot give up the demand for their freedom.

"Israel has released prisoners with blood on their hands in the past and this delay is Olmert's political decision. The problem is not with us. We now demand 450 prisoners out of 11,000. That's all," he said.

A senior Hamas source said that 10 to 20 deportations were possible from among the released Hamas prisoners, and this was discussed during the Cairo talks. However, Israel demanded to deport 100 prisoners.

Palestinian analysts said Thursday that the publication of the list of prisoners Israel is unwilling to free was a critical error. They said Hamas will make the people on the list into symbols and insist on their release in any possible deal.

Hamas Thursday threatened to worsen Shalit's conditions in captivity in retaliation for a wave of arrests of Hamas lawmakers in the West Bank and Israeli plans to worsen conditions for Hamas prisoners. Hamas lawmaker Mushir al-Misri called for more kidnappings of soldiers to facilitate prisoner releases. Misri said Hamas has options including completely closing the Shalit case.

Early Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet security service detained 10 Hamas lawmakers, including four members of the Hamas legislative council in the West Bank, as well as other senior Hamas figures. The IDF announced that the men were arrested for recent activity to rehabilitate Hamas' organizational capability in the West Bank.