Hamas demands Barghouti's release in exchange for Shalit

DAMASCUS - Hamas has added Marwan Barghouti to the list of people it wants released in exchange for kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, a senior Hamas official said yesterday.

Mohammed Nazzal, a member of the Islamic organization's political bureau, said that Barghouti is one of a number of prisoners the group wants Israel to free in exchange for Shalit, who was abducted by Hamas in June 2006.

"Marwan Barghouti's name was on Hamas' list of prisoners it demanded be released in exchange for Shalit," Nazzal said in a telephone interview. He did not indicate whether the list had actually been sent to the Israelis.

Nazzal added that Khaled Meshal, the Damascus-based head of Hamas's political bureau, hopes to lead a delegation to Egypt to negotiate the prisoner exchange. Egypt has been mediating between Hamas and Israel over the release of Shalit.

"There is no definite schedule for a visit, but there is a plan for a visit," said Nazzal. "We hope it will take place soon, but until now no date has been set," he added. A senior Israeli government official told AP that Marwan Barghouti's release was not on the table at the moment.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to discuss the matter with the media.

On Saturday, Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai became the latest high-ranking Israeli official to publicly support Barghouti's release, despite the government's declared policy of not freeing prisoners involved in fatal attacks on Israelis.

Barghouti is serving five consecutive life sentences for masterminding the killing of four Israelis and a Greek monk.

National Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, a former defense minister, and Environment Minister Gideon Ezra, a former deputy chief of the Shin Bet security service, have also endorsed freeing Barghouti. Barghouti is the most prominent of the approximately 9,000 Palestinian prisoners that Israel is holding.

He is viewed as a potential successor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Speaking in Damascus on Friday, Meshal said that Shalit would not be released until Palestinians held in Israeli jails were freed. He did not give further details.