|
A special Cabinet meeting was held today on the possibilities for the release of Gilad Shalit. Israel Security Agency Director Yuval Diskin and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's envoy, Ofer Dekel, gave extensive briefings on the lengthy efforts that were made up to now on Shalit's release. The Cabinet was also briefed on the issue by IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Gaby Ashkenazi, GOC Intelligence Maj.-Gen. Amos Yedlin and other security officials.
It was made clear that Hamas did not agree to show flexibility in the Egyptian-mediated negotiations, reneged on written understandings that had been submitted previously and insisted on the release of 450 prisoners that it had demanded from the outset. The security officials emphasized that in the negotiations conducted on Monday, Hamas had even hardened its positions and reneged on previous agreements following situational assessments that it had made in the wake of the wave of public statements by Israeli figures who had conducted a media campaign, which Hamas was aware of and from which its people understood that Israel would be prepared to capitulate to all of its demands.
The Cabinet received a specific report on the identity of some of the prisoners on Hamas's list, some of whom Israel had refused to release, and some of whom it had agreed to release on the condition that they be barred from Judea and Samaria. The representative list that was presented underscored both Israel's willingness to show as much flexibility as possible and pay a heavy price on behalf of Gilad Shalit's release, as well as its red lines and its obligation to prevent severe harm to its security. According to the security officials' assessments, if Israel had released all of the murderers that Hamas was demanding, this would have caused severe damage to national security, including regarding the rehabilitation of strategic terrorist infrastructures and the return of senior 'terrorist engineers', who had planned and put into operation the most murderous terrorist attacks that the State of Israel has ever known. This would have also dealt a mortal blow to pragmatic elements in the region whereas the extremists would have been significantly strengthened.
Click here for details (in Hebrew) of the prisoners on Hamas's list, both those whom Israel refused to release as well as those it agreed to release on the condition that they be barred from Judea and Samaria.
|