Monday, October 13, 2008

Hamas Raised Price of Shalit Deal after Kintar Release


Al-Manar

"13/10/2008 Negotiators involved in the talks over captured Israeli occupation soldier Gilad Shalit say Israel will have to change its criteria regarding the Palestinian detainees it is willing to release.

These sources say Hamas is insisting Israel agree to release detainees "with blood on their hands."

They said Hamas has raised its demands, arguing that Israel has already released Samir Kintar, who was convicted of killing four Israelis in a 1979 terror attack in Nahariya, and two detainees of the same ilk as a gesture to the Palestinian Authority, Abu Ali Yatta and Sa'id al-Ataba. Now Hamas wants Israel to agree to this principle in order to renew the talks.

Kintar was freed as part of this past summer's “Operation Al-Redwan” a swap with Hezbollah. In exchange for Kintar and four other Lebanese resistance fighters, Israel received the bodies of two captured Israeli occupation soldiers, who were captured by Hezbollah in 2006.

The negotiators in the Shalit affair said that if Israel relaxes its criteria, indirect talks in Cairo between Hamas and Israel will most likely begin."

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