Hamas Rejected Israeli Prisoner Swap
Hamas is rejecting a possible exchange of up to a thousand prisoners for the kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, yet the US and EU are desperate to find an excuse to start funding the Palestinian Authority again.
From The Media Line:
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu Gheit told Al Arabiyya television on Monday that an Egyptian-brokered deal to exchange captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit for as many as 1,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails, was rejected by Hamas.
Tensions have developed between Egypt and Hamas as a result of the negotiations, bringing into question Egypt’s ability to continue as the deal-maker following the Hamas rejection. Israel is threatening to step up its ground operations aimed at ending the firing of rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel. A spokesman for the primary group holding Shalit, the Popular Resistance Committees, warned Israel that if it “enter[s] Gaza and kill[s] people, or even if they eliminate all Gazans, they will never regain their soldier.”
Many of these prisoners are murderers and terrorists so it is extraordinary that Israel should consider releasing any at all. Nevertheless, this should confirm to anyone that Hamas is not and never has been interested in peace.
