De vrijlating van Shalit was een belangrijke motivatie voor Israël om met het staakt-het-vuren in te stemmen, en heeft ook meegespeeld in de beslissing van een militaire operatie voorlopig af te zien. Deze zou immers mogelijk zijn dood betekenen. Olmert heeft beloofd dat met het staakt-het-vuren ook Shalit zal vrijkomen, en zal dus bereid zijn daar een hoge prijs voor te betalen. De vader van Shalit heeft zelfs met een rechtszaak gedreigd omdat Israël met een staakt-het-vuren heeft ingestemd voordat er een deal is die de vrijlating van zijn zoon behelst. Ik vraag mij dan ook af of Hamas, in ruil voor opening van de Rafah grensovergang, zijn eisen wat betreft de vrij te laten gevangenen zal versoepelen zoals in onderstaand artikel wordt beweerd.
Overigens heb ik nergens anders gelezen dat specifiek overeengekomen was dat de onderhandelingen over een gevangenenruil 24 uur na het ingaan van het staakt-het-vuren van start zouden gaan, maar aangezien er geen schriftelijke verklaring of iets dergelijks is getekend kan iedereen wat er allemaal is gezegd naar eigen inzicht interpreteren.
Ratna
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Negotiations to release Gilad Shalit to resume next week
PM's Office official charged with heading efforts for kidnapped soldier's release to leave for Egypt next Tuesday for renewed talks. Palestinian sources say deal has chances of materializing by next month
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Negotiations to release Gilad Shalit to resume next week
PM's Office official charged with heading efforts for kidnapped soldier's release to leave for Egypt next Tuesday for renewed talks. Palestinian sources say deal has chances of materializing by next month
Ofer Dekel, the Prime Minister's Office emissary in charge of Israel's efforts on behalf of its missing and captive soldiers is scheduled to leave for Cairo next Tuesday in order to renew the negotiations for the release of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.
The meeting was scheduled after Head of the Defense Ministry's Security-Diplomatic Bureau Amos Gilad, who was named pointman for the ceasefire negotiations between Israel and the militant groups in Gaza Strip, met with Egyptian Intelligence Minister Omar Suleiman, earlier this week.
"If it wasn't for the truce, any possible progress in Gilad's matter would have been postponed indefinitely. A wide scale military operation in Gaza could have irrevocably damaged any attempts to bring about his release," a senior diplomatic source told Ynet Thursday.
"The Israeli government will eventually have to pay a painful price – the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners," a security source told Ynet.
"We're talking about hundreds of prisoner with "blood on their hands"; some whose release has yet to be cleared by the committee headed by Vice Premier Haim Ramon… the committee cleared 70 prisoners for release, but its' going to take many more," added the source.
Palestinian sources familiar with the negotiations told Ynet that the ceasefire agreement called for the negotiations on Shalit's release to be resumed 24 hours after the truce's onset. Since the "following day" falls on the weekend, Dekel will leave for Egypt next week. A Hamas delegation will leave for Egypt at the same time.
Both parties are said to remain in Cairo pending an agreement on Shalit's release.
According to Palestinian sources, Hamas is expected to elasticize its demands for prisoners' release in exchange for the opening of Rafah Crossing and the near overall lift of the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip.
The terms in the ceasefire allowing the Rafah crossing to be reopened have been almost completely finalized: EU and Palestinian Authority security forces stand to man the crossing, with Israel monitoring it via security cameras.
The sources said there was a "good chance" of a breakthrough in the talks, adding they believe Shalit's matter can be resolved within a month's time.
Gilad Shalit has been in Hamas' captivity for 725 days.
Ali Waked contributed to this report
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