Israeli hints at prisoner swap for soldier

[cal04]

A top Israeli official hinted for the first time that Israel was prepared to swap Palestinian prisoners for a captured soldier, saying Friday that the prisoners could be released as a goodwill gesture after the 19-year-old corporal was freed.

It was not immediately clear whether public security minister Avi Dichter was speaking for the government or expressing a personal opinion.

If militants release Cpt. Gilad Shalit and stop rocket attacks from Gaza, "Israel will need to, after some time, release prisoners as a reciprocal gesture," Dichter said in a speech to Israeli business people. "Israel knows how to do this. Israel has done this more than once in the past."

Dichter also said Shalit is alive.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060707/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians

[uppityperson]

1. Good.

Still reading posts here, quit posting but still reading so thanks for continuing to post articles and stuff.

[Totallybushed]

2. Sure fire

recipe for more kidnappings.

[The Magistrate]

3. It Would Seem The Best Way Out, Ma'am

The soldier should be released and the rocket attacks should not be renewed.

Certainly a number of Arab Palestinian prisoners could be released.

[pelsar]

4. except that....

whomever agrees to a swap doesnt mean they have control over the kassam launchers. Gaza is not Hizballa, ever since israel left, its become more and more of warload/turfwar/civilwar type of society.

for some groups orders come from Syria others its Lebanon, others its Iran, Hamas is fractured in several subgroups. I doubt who ever "promises no more kassams/katushyas/infiltrations/tunnels will have the authority to enforce such a promise

and it will all start again...probably the day after such a swap, just as in the withdrawl......kassams.

[ladjf]

5. They could have done that in the first place rather than their

heavy handed invasion and brief war against Palestine. Their response was way out of line and the world knows it. They helped Hamas.

[pelsar]

6. helped hamas?

how?......who holds the corporal?..is he even alive?.....

[ladjf]

7. I mean that their out of proportion invasion has gotten a lot of

International sympathy for Hamas. And now they may be willing to trade some prisoners for the soldier,a deal that could have been made without the attacks. Of course, Hamas sustained substantial physical damage which was not to their advantage.

[pelsar]

8. trade?

Hamas has substained severe damage...but then again, palestenain politics is a very "murky thing"...who will emerge out of this strong and who wont i wont even venture to guess

as far as any deal without the attacks... israel basically had enough of the kassams on its cities without doing anything serious, the kidnapping was just the final straw. The invasion would have happened eventually as the kassams have already reached a major city.....and the only way to stop them might be to do major damage to the palestenian society. (or not, time will tell)

[ladjf]

9. Post #1 Israeli hints at prisoner swap for soldier

[Scurrilous]

11. Hamas: Kidnapped soldier well-treated

Organization says in first direct statement on kidnapped soldier's condition, 'we stress that negotiations are the only way out of this case and the sole way to preserve the life of the soldier and secure his safe return home'

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3272517,00.html

<snip>

"Hamas said on Friday that a captured Israeli soldier was being well-treated and that only negotiations would secure his release, in the governing Islamist group's first direct statement on Gilad Shalit's condition.

"His treatment is being done well and in a humanitarian way in accordance with the orders of our religion," the group said.

"We stress that negotiations are the only way out of this case and the sole way to preserve the life of the soldier and secure his safe return to his family. We call on the Israelis to express what they really think about the kidnapped soldier and about how his family and most of the citizens feel – they demand negotiations with the (Palestinian) resistance.

“The only thing that is putting the soldier’s life at risk is (Prime Minister Ehud) Olmert’s degrading attitude,” the statement said."

[pelsar]

12. same thing was said about the settler....

except he was already dead..and the 3 kidnapped soldiers years ago.....

Possibility one: the missing soldier, for one reason or another, is dead and maybe there is a morgue available for his body or maybe there is not," Abu Mujahed said at a news conference.

"Possibility two is the soldier is still alive but is suffering a serious injury. Medication might be available or might not be available .... Possibility three is that he is fine but that a long time will pass (before he is released)."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060629/wl_nm/mideast_taunt_dc



so which to believe?

[AnOhioan]

10. IF Israel is serious......

it is a good idea.