Israel willing to free Marwan Barghouti for Shalit

[notfullofit]

By Barak Ravid and Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondents

A Gulf newspaper reported Monday that Israel is willing to include jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti in a list of 300 Palestinian prisoners to be freed in exchange for abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

Shalit was seized in a cross-border raid in June 2006 and has been held in captivity in the Gaza Strip ever since. Unlike the soldiers who were snatched several weeks later by Hezbollah, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, several signs of life from Shalit have been released. Barghouti is serving five life sentences in Israel for his role in a series of deadly terrorist attacks during the second intifada.

The newspaper, Al-Bayan which is published in the United Arab Emirates, also said that the list would also include senior Hamas officials Hassan Salame Abdullah Barghouti and Ibrahim Hamad. But, the report says, Israel will not free the leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Ahmed Sadat.
According to Al-Bayan, the talks on the exchange to secure Shalit's release have seen significant progress, but Egyptian officials fear that agents in the region will try to scupper the deal.
snip
Meanwhile, former United States President Jimmy Carter is also trying to achieve a breakthrough in negotiations for Shalit's release, and has urged Israel to release Hamas politicians in efforts to expedite the deal.

A senior adviser to Carter, Robert Pastor, visited Israel last week, as part of a regional tour that included visits to the Gaza Strip, Damascus and Cairo.

Pastor met with Shas leader Eli Yishai, and said that Carter would like to arrange a tripartite meeting with a senior Hamas figure. An Israeli source said that Pastor presented Yishai with the initiative to release Hamas politicians to expedite the deal.

Under the initiative, Israel would release several dozen prisoners a confidence-building measure, including Hamas parliamentarians and ministers arrested after Shalit's abduction in June 2006. In return, Shalit would be brought to Egypt, where his family would be able to visit him. After this stage, negotiations for the release of more Palestinian prisoners and Shalit's return home would continue.

more
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1003802.html

[azurnoir]

1. Hopefully Gilad Shalit will be released soon

Hamas should however provide proof he is alive, I believe he is, however it would stop BS in the meantime.

As for Marwan Barghouti he is not Kuntar, a bit about him.

Israel tried Barghouti in an Israeli civilian court, instead of a military court as is often done with Palestinian militants.

Marwan Barghouti refused to present a defense to the charges brought against him, maintaining throughout that the trial was illegal and illegitimate. However, he continued to stress that he supported armed resistance to the Israeli occupation, but condemned attacks on civilians over the Green Line.

He was convicted on May 20, 2004 of five counts of murder. He was acquitted of 21 counts of murder in 33 other attacks. On June 6, 2004, he was sentenced to five life sentences for the five murders and forty years imprisonment for the attempted murder.

a quote from Barghouti and it has a familiar ring

"And while I, and the Fatah movement to which I belong, strongly oppose attacks and the targeting of civilians inside Israel, our future neighbor, I reserve the right to protect myself, to resist the Israeli occupation of my country and to fight for my freedom"(2002 Washington Post op-ed)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marwan_Barghouti

[Sezu]

2. Why may I ask do you believe he is alive? n/t

[azurnoir]

3. Recent letter to parents

which could have been written earlier and the fact that Gaza is in far more danger of retaliation from Israeli's than Lebanon and yes I know the common "party" line Hamas does not care however if you haven't noticed things have been holding tight from Gaza even days prior to the prisoner exchange, and even while IDF bravely raided soup kitchens, a girls school, and other "terrorist" spots.

[notfullofit]

4. I agree, Hamas

has been keeping kinda low profile lately, not quite sure what that means though.
Have they just been too busy stockpiling weapons, waiting for the next go round?

[ProgressiveMuslim]

5. That could certainly be a strategy; it surely proved highly successful for Hezbollah. nt

[Vegasaurus]

8. And you think this is a good thing?

Terrorists stockpiling weapons?

[ProgressiveMuslim]

15. I think it's time for Israel to get serious about peaceful negotiations. nt

[azurnoir]

9. supposedly they were

doing that prior to the cease fire.

[Vegasaurus]

7. I would bet that he is dead

Terrorists have no value for human life, and now see that they can "trade" a dead solider for a bunch of live terrorists.

[azurnoir]

11. With a difference

Israel has engaged Hezbollah twice and has not "won" either time, Gaza is a "softer" target. If Shalit was dead Israel would still be riding the wave of sympathy for Regev and Goldwasser and then Shalit-Gaza would IMHO would be a no holds barred well except for nukes and maybe cluster bombs engagement.

If you want to believe he is dead fine, I for one prefer hope

[shaayecanaan]

14. I'll take that bet

Shall we say fifty US dollars? If he turns out to be dead, I make a donation of $50 to Magen David Adom and post a copy of the receipt online. If he's alive, you pay $50 to the Palestine Children's Relief fund. Deal?

[ProgressiveMuslim]

6. I wonder if internally, Hamas would be interested in Barghouti's release.

This will be interesting.

[Phx_Dem]

10. It could benefit hamas politically

A Barghouti led party will split the Fatah vote, giving Hamas a larger proportion of voters.

If I were the Israeli PM I probably woudn't trade him for that very reason.

[azurnoir]

12. Hamas asked for Barghouti

Hamas has added Fatah/Tanzim leader Marwan Barghouti to a list of prisoners it wants released in exchange for captured Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, a senior Damascus-based Hamas official said Tuesday.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/942911.htm

Barghouti would also draw an equally large chunk of Hamases voters, this man could be the "reunifier" of the Palestinians

[ProgressiveMuslim]

13. Thanks.

I have believed that Hamas was in favor of a unified national liberation struggle. Their asking for Barghouti would attest to that.

[notfullofit]

16. Update Israel agrees to release Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti

Report: Israel refuses to release Ahmad Saadat

Arab newspapers say Jewish state won't free Popular Front secretary-general involved in murder of former Minister Rehavam Ze'evi, as part of deal securing kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit's release, but agrees to release Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti

Roee Nahmias Published: 07.22.08, 10:01 / Israel News

An Egyptian source has told the London-based al-Hayat newspaper that as part of a deal securing the release of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, Israel is willing to free Marwan Barghouti, the former Fatah Secretary-General in the West Bank who was sentenced to five life imprisonments, but will not release Popular Front Secretary-General Ahmad Saadat, who was involved in the murder of former Minister Rehavam Ze'evi.

"Barghouti is on the list of 70 prisoners Israeli has agreed to release," the source said.

Meanwhile, the al-Bayan newspaper published in the United Arab Emirates reported Tuesday that the same Egyptian source had said that "Israel's consent to release Barghouti or Saadat, or both, will not change Hamas' stance.

"Hamas will not go back on its demand to release 450 prisoners, the names of whom have been included in a list transferred to Israel through Egypt. The timing and the rest of the issues, apart for the list of names, are considered minor as far as Hamas in concerned.

The paper reported that the Shalit deal will be executed in three stages: In the first stage, Israel will release 150 prisoners out of the 450 included on Hamas' list, and in return Shalit will be transferred to Cairo.

In the second stage, which will take place a week later, Israel will release 300 prisoners in return for Shalit's arrival in Israel.

In the third stage, the Jewish state will release another 550 prisoners, the identity of whom will be determined by Israel, including women, minors and people sentenced to short prison terms. Egypt will vouch for the deal's implementation.

GIlad Shalit was kidnapped into the Gaza Strip 758 days ago.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3571431,00.html