PM Willing to Deal with ‘Moderate’ Palestinian Leaders
Excerpts;
While Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Sunday’s cabinet meeting ruled out a prisoner swap with Hamas, he noted that he has expressed willingness in the past to release Palestinian prisoners in a deal with moderate Palestinian leaders.
Olmert’s comments could indicate the possibility of an indirect deal to win the release of a captive IDF Cpl. Gilad Shalit.
Olmert told the cabinet that he had been considering a prisoner release long before Shalit was kidnapped on June 25, but said that such a deal could only take place with moderate Palestinians.
“It’s not a secret before the kidnapping that we would free prisoners. But we intended to release them to moderate elements and not to terrorist elements,” Olmert said, according to meeting participants.
[IMRA: “The prime minister rejected recent accusations that the government cared more about the threat faced by residents of Ashkelon that the condition of the population of Sderot.
Olmert, speaking in the weekly cabinet meeting, said that because the range of Kassams was increasing the army had begun operations to counter the rocket fire. ”
= the Sderot residents have chutzpah to complain that the Olmert
administration didn’t realy care that they were being bombarded by rockets. After all, it is their own fault that Sderot is located closer to Gaza than Ashkelon. All the crybabies in Sderot had to do to get equal treatment was move Sderot away from the Gaza Strip so that when it was hit by rockets it would be by longer range rockets that deserved the attention of the Olmert administration.]
Commentary;
Isn’t it incredible how many times Olmert changes the prisoner exchange story and expects the people to be gullible enough to believe whatever he says? The bottom line: Olmert and his heartless, politically expedient friends will yet again give in to extortion for political gain, hundreds more prisoners will be released to Chas V’Chilla kill and maim more Jews and Olmert and his friends and the “convergence” will be oblivious to it all. MB
PM: Kidnapping Ruined Prisoner Release (Latest Version)
Excerpt;
“While Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Sunday’s cabinet meeting ruled out a prisoner swap with Hamas, he noted that before Cpl. Gilad Shalit was kidnapped, he had expressed willingness to release Palestinian prisoners in a deal with moderate Palestinian leaders.”
Report: Hamas Ready to Accept Deal for Shalit’s Release
Full Text;
While Israel has not changed its official rejection of a cease-fire with Hamas, negotiations are being conducted through back channels for the release of kidnapped IDF Cpl. Gilad Shalit, the London-based Al-Hayat reported Monday.
Egyptian sources told the newspaper that Israel would be willing to commit to a withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, stop targeted killings, and release prisoners in exchange for Shalit’s safe release and an end to Kassam rocket fire.
Meanwhile, Israel Radio reported Monday that Palestinian sources have said that the Hamas leadership in Damascus was prepared to accept a deal for Shalit’s release.
The terms of the proposal state that Hamas will release Shalit and stop firing Kassam rockets at Israel if the IDF ends its recent military options in the Gaza Strip and stops targeted killings of Palestinian terror leaders. Also, Israel would have to release all the Hamas ministers and parliament members who were recently arrested, and by the end of 2006 release some 1000 Palestinian security prisoners.
Hamas leader in exile Khaled Mashaal was scheduled to hold a press conference in Damascus on Monday afternoon.