RAMALLAH, West Bank, 14 April 2007 — Amidst controversy of prisoners’ swap deal, Israeli Knesset member of Labor Party and former chief of Shin Bet (Israeli internal intelligence service) Ami Ayalon said yesterday “(Fatah leader) Marwan Barghouthi led a campaign of terror but he does not have blood on his hands.”
Ayalon told Israeli Radio that Israel should even discuss the release of Palestinian prisoners who have murdered Israelis “if the Shin Bet believes that they will not return to their terrorist ways.”
The former Shin Bet head also called for the immediate evacuation of the occupied home in Hebron by Israeli settlers since “its occupation is bound to hinder negotiations to secure the release of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.”
Meanwhile, head of the Egyptian security delegation in the Gaza Strip, Gen. Burhan Hamed, said that he would meet next week with Israeli representatives in order to hear Israel’s position on the list of prisoners the Palestinians wanted freed in a swap deal.
