Mish’al, the head of Hamas politburo, said that the Egyptian mediators are making vigorous moves to advance a prisoner exchange deal.
The Hamas leader said that the release of Shalit “depends on the Israeli position,” adding that the “ball is now in (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu’s court.”
Mish’al held Netanyahu responsible for the lack of progress in the deal. Shalit has been in Hamas captivity since he was abducted in a 2006 cross-border raid.
Since December 2009, the German mediator and Egypt had failed to finalize the prisoners’ swap deal between Hamas and Israel due to the two sides’ differences.
Hamas wants Israel to free up to 1,000 Palestinians in Israeli prisons in exchange for the release of Shalit, and the Palestinian movement has reportedly presented a list of 450 names in Israeli prisons.
Israel also objects to freeing Israeli Arab prisoners as well as several Hamas military wing leaders. Another issue yet to be settled is Israel’s demand to deport almost 100 of the 450 “heavy” prisoners set to be released in the deal.
According to the recent Palestinian statistics, there are 6,700 Palestinians currently held in 10 prisons and 3 detention camps in Israel and in the West Bank. There are 300 prisoners under the age of 18. Israel also holds 37 females and 13 members of the Palestine Legislative Council.
Meanwhile, the Haifa District Court sentenced an Arab man to six years for contact with Hamas agents and encouraging other Arabs inside Israel to aid the movement.
The court said that 27-year-old Islam Mar’i of the Arab town of Freidis was recruited by Hamas during his studies at Hebron University in West Bank, at which time he was asked to gather intelligence for the movement group as well as aid in the infiltration of terrorists and explosives into Israel.
In a related development, Israeli forces operating in West Bank on Thursday arrested six “wanted” Palestinian activists, Palestinian and Israeli sources said.
The Palestinian sources said that the activists were arrested in various West Bank areas. The sources said that they were arrested after the Israeli security forces carried a thorough search in their houses.
Israeli security sources said that the raids in Palestinian territories only targeted “wanted Palestinian terrorists.” The sources added that the seventeen were taken to unknown locations for questioning by the Israeli intelligence service Shin Bet.
Israeli defense establishment says the almost daily arrest campaigns in Palestinian territories are part of its war against Palestinian armed groups.
