A Palestinian senior official revealed on Tuesday that talks to
swap an Israeli soldier for Palestinian prisoners have stuck in
mire over the category of prisoners to be involved in the swap
deal.
Palestinian Minister of Prisoners' Affairs Wasfi Kabha told
reporters that the Palestinians have been demanding the release of
367 prisoners who spend more than 16 years in prison and everyone
sentenced to life, in addition to women, youngsters and
patients.
However, "the Israeli side is inflexible in defining who the
prisoners of long sentences were," Kabha said.
On June 25, military wings affiliated with Palestinian ruling
Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and the Popular Resistance
Committees (PRC) captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, drastically
escalating the long-lasting Israel-Palestine conflict.
The captors demand to exchange Shalit for a number of
Palestinian prisoners.
On Nov. 26, a vulnerable truce between Israel and the
Palestinian side took effect, ending a five-month Israeli military
offensive in the Gaza Strip and paving the way for a swap.
Kabha said Egyptian mediators "have signaled positive signs to
the Palestinians that Israel agreed to release prisoners in phases
and in coincidence with the release of Shalit."
According to the signals, Israel has accepted to free 400
Palestinian prisoners, including a big number of women, some
youngsters and patients when Shalit is handed over to the Egyptian
mediators as the first phase.
Then, Israel pledges to release another groups of prisoners when
Shalit meets his family in Egypt. This group includes jailed
leaders of political factions.
In the third phase, Israel releases prisoners of long sentences
according to criteria set by Palestinians.
Meanwhile, the ceasefire reached between the Palestinians and
Israel was still valid despite Israel's rejection to expansion of
the truce to the West Bank and Palestinian militant groups' threats
to tear up the deal, according to Palestinian analysts and
observers.?
But they said that the ceasefire is undoubtedly in danger and
faces collapse if Israel dose not adopt immediate steps to end its
military operations in the West Bank.
"The deal would remain fragile, unless it is followed by more
steps on the ground, especially by Israel, to enforce the aural
deal and promote it into wider talks that could lead to a permanent
mutual written truce between the two sides," said Ashrafel-Ajrami,
a political analyst from Gaza.
Ajrami called on Israel to stop its military actions and arrest
campaign in the West Bank as soon as possible to enable the fragile
truce to go on.
Israeli side welcomed the ceasefire and responded positively
from the first day of the ceasefire by stopping its military
offensive on northern Gaza Strip and pulling the troops out of the
area.
However, Israel's positive steps did not get equivalent response
from the Palestinian side, from which rocket attacks were still
launched into Israel.
Facing the violations of the ceasefire by some minor Palestinian
militant groups, Israel exhibited its patience to some extent and
decided to pursue restraint policy.
However, it still rejected to extend the ceasefire to the West
Bank regardless of Palestinian threats of breaking down the current
truce with Israel.
(Xinhua News Agency December 6, 2006 )
