Word: shalit
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Having secured the release of kidnapped BBC correspondent Alan Johnston on July 4th, Hamas officials are now moving discreetly to negotiate freedom for another Gaza hostage - Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Shalit, seized in June 2006 in a raid by Palestinian militants who had tunneled under the Israeli security wall around Gaza, is currently being held by kidnappers who include members of Hamas' own military wing, as well another radical group, the Popular Resistance Committees...
...investigation by TIME reveals a marked contrast in how the Israelis and Hamas view their complicated on-again, off-again negotiations over Shalit's release. The disconnect arises partially out of Israel's refusal to deal directly with Hamas, which they consider a terrorist organization. While some informed Israelis say they are "optimistic" that Shalit will be free "within weeks," Hamas officials are far more cautious - one offered the glum assessment that bargaining could drag on for another year...
...Hamas official told TIME that last spring, the militants proposed a deal in which Israel would hand over 1,400 prisoners - at first, 300 Palestinians would be released, and in exchange Hamas would move Shalit from Gaza to Egypt. The Israeli soldier would then be turned over to the Israelis, and another 400 Palestinians would be freed. Seven month after Shalit is safely home, Israel would then free another 700 prisoners. Included in the list were 100 "must release" Palestinians, all convicted of terrorist acts against Israelis. Israel balked at letting loose prisoners "with blood on their hands," who might...
...impasse arises because both Israel and Hamas believe that they hold the stronger hand and don't want to compromise. As canny observers of Israeli politics, Hamas knows that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert could use the freeing of Shalit to boost his plummeting popularity. Meanwhile, the Israelis reckon that Hamas could capitalize on the exchange of hundreds of prisoners as a way to improve their support among Palestinians, and their international standing. Israel and Western government slapped an economic blockade on 1.5 million Gaza residents now living under Hamas' rule, and it would help Hamas' standing if these sanctions were...
...reporter who most likely will not be there to cover a possible Shalit release is Johnston, who plans on taking a much deserved "break" from Gaza. Says Johnston: "I literally dreamt many times of being free and always woke up back in that room. And now it really is over, and it really is indescribably good...