The Gilad Shalit Deal

Ismail Haniyeh cancels his Hajj

Evan Hill | November 25, 2009 3:01 PM | 0 | recommend (0) |   |      

The Jerusalem Post reports that Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas' leader in the Gaza Strip, has canceled his trip to Mecca for the Hajj pilgrimage, raising hopes that a prisoner swap deal for captured Israel Defense Forces Corporal Gilad Shalit is going to happen soon.

Anticipation that hundreds of Palestinian prisoners might soon be released in a deal with Israel was so high in Gaza that Haniyeh had been asked to remain in the Gaza Strip to greet the prisoners, said a Hamas legislator in Gaza City.

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Categories: Israel & Palestine, Politics

Tags: Gaza, Gilad Shalit, Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, Israel, Israel Defense Forces, prisoner exchange

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What's happening with the Shalit deal?

Hosni Mubarak insists that Shalit is alive and well and coming home soon. And Hamas insists again that most members of Hamas -- let alone Mubarak -- have no idea what's happening with Shalit.

What's happening with the Shalit deal?, ctd.

Al-Jazeera tries to figure out why Hamas is being coy about Gilad Shalit's condition. The network suggests the public statements are a feint -- that there's real behind-the-scenes progress on freeing Shalit.

About that "Dubai will arrest Bibi" story...

Yes, NYT, borders are porous. What's your point?

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Helmand Surge, Take 5

Strategic communications, Taliban-style

Gregg Carlstrom | February 4, 2010 9:06 AM | 2 | recommend (0)
ISAF and Afghan soldiers on patrol in Helmand province last year. (Photo: Flickr user combat.camera)
ISAF has spent months hyping Operation Moshtarak as the mother of all battles. But why is the Taliban talking up the Marja offensive? To draw ISAF further into a battle that's likely to be expensive -- and unlikely to lead to any major strategic gains.

Iraqi Elections

Report: De-Ba'athification decision overturned

Gregg Carlstrom | February 3, 2010 8:57 AM | 0 | recommend (0)
Iraqi president Jalal Talabani at a press conference in Baghdad (file).
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War in Iraq

Blair at Iraq Inquiry: "Responsibility, but not a regret for removing Saddam Hussein"

Evan Hill | January 29, 2010 2:25 PM | 1 | recommend (1)
Former British prime minister Tony Blair testifying before the Iraq inquiry commission on Jan. 29, 2010. (Photo: BBC)
Former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair spoke on Friday before a British government panel convened to investigate the prelude, events and aftermath of the Iraq War. Blair held the line against mild inquiries from the panel and indicated that his decision to help remove Iraqi President Saddam Hussein did not depend on the existence of weapons of mass destruction. He also warned that Iran poses a similar threat today.

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