prisoner exchange - Tag Search

Are we finally approaching a resolution to the seemingly never-ending negotiations over a prisoner swap for captured Israel Defense Forces Corporal Gilad Shalit? All signs point to yes, though you'll recall that a deal seemed imminent five months ago.

As Gregg noted earlier today, German mediator Ernst Uhrlau has delivered Israel's latest offer to Hamas, and Hamas has said it will "seriously consider" it. As of early Thursday morning Israel time, we're now seeing reports that Hamas is, according to Haaretz, "likely" to accept Israel's offer, which will involve deporting more than 100 Palestinian prisoners to other countries.

A quick update on the Gilad Shalit deal: Israel is now considering a plan to release Marwan Barghouti into exile, according to al-Hayat (عربي).

There seems to be a great deal of uncertainty about whether Barghouti will even be released, though. His brother said last week that he expects Barghouti be freed; indeed, al-Hayat reported yesterday that he is on the list of 400 prisoners scheduled for release. But Israeli officials are walking back those claims: Vice president Silvan Shalom said recently that Barghouti would not be freed.

The German mediators working with Hamas and Israel also reportedly proposed new terms to both parties. Israel would release a small number of prisoners, but that shortened list would include residents of East Jerusalem, along with senior political figures like Barghouti and leaders of Hamas' military wing.

The negotiations for Gilad Shalit's release are now focused on the names (عربي) of roughly 50 Palestinian prisoners, according to a report in al-Hayat.

Several women are among the 50, including Amneh Muna, a woman who reportedly lured an Israeli man to Ramallah in 2001, where he was murdered.

Israel has already agreed to release some 400 prisoners, according to al-Hayat. Marwan Barghouti is one of them, as are several senior Hamas military leaders, including Ibrahim Hamed and Abdullah Barghouti.

The Israeli government will also reportedly agree to release 17 Israeli Arab prisoners; ten of them will be deported after their release.

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.

We haven't written about a possible Gilad Shalit deal in, oh, two months, so I think we're long overdue for some speculation.

Reports today say Shalit could be released by the end of the week, in exchange for several hundred Palestinian prisoners. Israel reportedly agreed to free an extra 160 prisoners whose release had been previously vetoed. (That means they're probably militants.) The deal could happen as soon as Friday, the start of Eid al-Adha, according to reports.

Hamas officials are in Cairo today for a meeting with Omar Suleiman, the Egyptian intelligence chief, to discuss the deal.