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http://www.aljazeerah.info/News%20archives/2006%20News%20Archives/September/3%20n/Details%20of%20Israeli-Palestinian%20Prisoner%20Exchange%20Emerge.htm<br>
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</a></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=5>Details of
Israeli-Palestinian Prisoner Exchange Emerge <br><br>
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>Date: 03 / 09 / 2006 Time:
13:04 <br><br>
Bethlehem – Ma'an –<br><br>
Israeli political and security sources confirmed reports on Sunday of the
existence of a deal to exchange prisoners. The exchange is believed to
involve the release of the captive Israeli soldier Gil'ad Shalit, in
exchange for fewer than a tenth of Palestinian prisoners that Israel has
detained. <br><br>
According to Israeli sources, the Egyptian mediation team members
are the actors in this field and the exchange will take place over three
consecutive stages, lasting a period of weeks, but not months, as the
government of Olmert has previously demanded. <br><br>
Israel was offered a deal for the exchange of prisoners, based primarily
on the good faith of Israel, but the resistance in Gaza rejected the
goodwill of Israel, as it is considered a check without a deposit or
available balance. <br><br>
Despite that, the Prime Minister of Israel said more than once on Israeli
television, that he would not release Palestinian prisoners, "never,
never, never." His government, however, had already started
negotiations to return the captive soldier, Shalit, who is thought to
have been detained at the resistance prison in Gaza over the last two
months. <br><br>
The Israeli official heading the negotiations and the exchange is Oufar
Dikil, who has been moving between Cairo and Berlin to complete the deal.
<br><br>
The father of Gil'ad Shalit said to the Israeli Yedioth Ahronoth
newspaper that he hoped that these negotiations would bear fruit and that
the return of his son safely. According to a leak of the deal, the
release of 800 Palestinian prisoners that will be in stages: <br><br>
The first stage: Israel releases 300 prisoners and after a few days the
Palestinian resistance releases Corporal Shalit. <br><br>
The second stage: after a couple of months, Israel releases 300 prisoners
more. <br><br>
The third stage: to come at the end of the, Israel releases a further 200
Palestinian prisoners. Israel still refuses to include the prisoner
Marwan Al Barghouthi or the Lebanese prisoner Samir Al-Qintar. <br><br>
Yedioth Ahronoth also stated that Israeli security delegations visited
Cairo in August and held lengthy talks with Egyptian Intelligence
Minister, Omar Sulaiman, who has been mediating to complete the deal. The
newspaper says that the negotiations of Olmert and Oufar Dikil have taken
secret until now. <br><br>
The Palestinian side in the negotiations is less concerned with the
number of prisoners that the deal will include, as they as they are more
concerned with the overall quality of the deal and its political and
moral value. <br><br>
Over half of the Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli occupation
prisons (about 10,000 prisoners), are due for release within the coming
three years due to the end of their sentences. The priority for the
Palestinians is to see those prisoners released who are: <br><br>
1. Children, women, and infirm prisoners.<br><br>
2. Prisoners who have spent , or are due to spend, at least ten years in
the Israeli jails. <br><br>
In addition, Palestinians wish to see the release of the symbols of
political struggle who were engaged in public awareness, such as the
deputies Hussam Khader and Marwan Al-Barghouthi, the secretary-generals
such as Ahmed Sa'adat, Rakad Salem and Abdel Rahim Malluh and leaders of
Hamas, Fatah and Islamic Jihad . <br><br>
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