News, June  23, 2008

Olmert threatens to pull out of prisoner exchange deal because Hizbullah demands release of Palestinian prisoners

Editor's Note:

The Israeli occupation government kidnapped tens of thousands of Palestinians illegally from the Palestinian-administered territories, where it has no jurisdiction. About 11,000 of these abductees are prisoners in the Israeli occupation prisons and the Israeli occupation forces continue to kidnap more of them on daily basis.

For Olmert to refuse to release hundreds of them in a prisoner exchange with Hizbullah confirms lack of any desire for peace on the Israeli side.

Israel threatens to pull out of prisoner exchange deal

Date: 23 / 06 / 2008  Time:  12:28
Bethlehem - Ma'an –

The German-brokered prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hizbullah, which was expected to be concluded in the next few days, has been postponed, Israeli media sources reported on Monday.

Israeli TV analysts are saying that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will call off the exchange deal if Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrullah insists on the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Sources close to Hizbullah have said that Nasrullah has demanded the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners along with the seven Hizbullah prisoners who have been held by Israel since the 2006 33-day war.

Olmert's representative for the return of kidnapped soldiers, Ofer Dekel, who had just returned from Germany confirmed that this latest development was discussed in meetings on Sunday between Olmert and senior officials in the defense establishment. Olmert strongly objects to Nasrullah's demands, he said.

The Israeli occupation government prime minister also held a special consultative session on Sunday afternoon with the leaders of the Israeli security services to discuss the release of Samir Al-Quntar. Israeli ministers are at odds over Al-Quntar's release. He is considered the main bargaining chip in solving the mystery of missing Israeli pilot Ron Arad. The 50-year-old weapons systems officer has been 'missing in action' since 1986. Many Israeli ministers are demanding information on Arad's fate before any prisoner swap deal is struck.

Media sources have reported that Olmert is considering the call to declare the two captured Israeli soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, as 'killed in action.' Meanwhile Israeli security services leaders reject the prisoner exchange because they believe that living prisoners should not be exchanged for dead bodies (but there are two live Israeli soldiers in Hizbullah prisons).

Hizbullah insists on the release of hundreds of Palestinians detainees in a swap deal

Monday June 23, 2008 04:07 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Israeli sources reported on Sunday that the Lebanon-based Hizbullah group insists on the release of hundreds of Palestinian political detainees in exchange for releasing two Israeli soldiers captured by the group in Lebanon in 2006.

The two soldiers are Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser. The Israeli occupation government was informed of the demands of Hizbullah last week in Berlin by the German mediator, Gerhard Conrad.

Israeli sources reported that the government discussed these demands during a meeting of the security cabinet at the office of Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, Army Chief of Staff, Gabi Ashkenazi, Head of the Mossad, Me’er Dugan, head of the Shabak, Yuval Diskin, special envoy, Ofar Dekel, and Elan Beran, who was in charge of the file of Ron Arad the Israeli Air-Force Lieutenant Colonel who has been missing in action since 1985.

Israel believes Arad is in the hands of the Amal Shi’i group after bailing out of his warplane when it was shot down over the Lebanese city of Sidon.

The Israeli occupation government repeatedly rejected the release of Palestinian detainees and Arabs in a prisoner swap deal as “such an issue could boost the popularity of the Hizbullah party in the Palestinian and Arab streets”.

Also, Israeli sources reported that Olmert always insisted that the prisoner-swap deal should be one-phased, and that it should not include the release of Palestinian detainees.

But recently, the families of the two soldiers captured by Hizbullah started pressuring members of the ministerial cabinet to accept the swap deal.

On Sunday, Israeli President Shimon Peres said that negotiations with Hizbullah are complicated and added that news which claimed that a prisoner swap deal is about to be achieved are inaccurate.

Several Israeli occupation forces intelligence officers called for declaring the death of the two soldiers, who are believed to be in the hands of Hizbullah, and called for declaring their burial ground as unknown. The officers said that recent intelligence information indicted that there is a high probability that the two soldiers were killed before they were captured.

Also, Israeli occupation army radio said that several security officials in Israel called on the government to refrain from releasing the Lebanese prisoner, Sameer Al-Quntar, and claimed that releasing him will endanger the life of Corporal Gilad Shalit who is in the hands of the Palestinian resistance.

Al-Quntar was captured by Israeli occupation forces in April 22, 1979, and was supposed to be freed in 2004 in a previous prisoner swap deal, but the Israeli occupation government violated the agreement.

Israeli occupation army chief Rabbi considers declaring the two MIA soldiers as killed in action

Monday June 23, 2008 22:26 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Israeli sources reported on Monday that the Israeli Army Chief Rabi, Brigadier General Avi Ronsky, is currently assessing the fate of the two soldiers, captured by Hezbollah, in order to decide whether the two are alive or to be declared as killed in action with an unknown place of burial.

The two soldiers are Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, there were captured by fighters of the Lebanon-based Hezbollah party in July 12, 2006 .

The Military Rabi received intelligence information and will determine whether to declare the soldiers as MIA or killed in action with an unknown place of burial, Israeli Ynetnews reported.

 Israeli military sources stated that if the soldiers are declared to be Killed in Action, then the outcome of a prisoner-swap deal would be different as “the price which Israel has to pay for the bodies is lower than the price for captured soldiers who are alive”.

 The decision angered the families of Regev and Goldwasser especially since the families were informed of this development only after the intelligence information was handed to Ronsky. The families added that the conduct of the army is humiliating.

Benny Regev, the brother of Eldad, said that such a declaration will limit the chances of returning the missing soldiers, and will push Hezbollah to increase its demands.

Meanwhile, Karnit Goldwasser, the wife of Ehud, said that these news are terrible and described them as “shameful to Israel”.

Karnit added that the families are considering filing an appeal to the Israeli High Court of Justice against the decision to involve the military rabbi in this issue, the Ynetnews added.

 Hezbollah party is demanding Israel to release hundreds of Palestinian detainees in exchange for the release of the two soldiers. The Israeli security believes that declaring the two soldiers are killed in action will reduce the demands of Hezbollah.

Also, Israel is currently renewing its demand to receive all information that Hezbollah has on the fate of Ron Arad, the missing Navigator whose planed was dropped down over Lebanon in October 16, 1986.

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