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=== Prominent prisoners to be released as part of the deal ===
=== Prominent prisoners to be released as part of the deal ===
{{Expand list|date=October 2011}}
{{Unrepresentative|date=October 2011}}
Among the 1,027 prisoners expected to be released are about 280 murderers sentenced to life imprisonment, including:
Among the 1,027 prisoners expected to be released there is an unknown number of innocents and about 280 murderers sentenced to life imprisonment, including:


* '''Aad Abu Sharah''' (19 life sentences), '''Majdi Amro''' (19 life sentences) and '''Fadi Muhammad al-Jabaa'''<ref name=autogenerated1 /> (18 life sentences) - responsible for the [[Haifa bus 37 suicide bombing|attack on bus No. 37 in Haifa]] in 2002.
* '''Aad Abu Sharah''' (19 life sentences), '''Majdi Amro''' (19 life sentences) and '''Fadi Muhammad al-Jabaa'''<ref name=autogenerated1 /> (18 life sentences) - responsible for the [[Haifa bus 37 suicide bombing|attack on bus No. 37 in Haifa]] in 2002.

Revision as of 02:06, 18 October 2011

The Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange (Template:Lang-he; Template:Lang-ar) is an agreement between Israel and Hamas to release French-Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for 1,027 Palestinian and Arab-Israeli prisoners. The agreement comes five years and four months after Palestinian militants captured Shalit in southern Israel on the Gaza border. The deal, brokered by German and Egyptian mediators, was signed in Egypt on 11 October 2011. Its first phase will be executed on 18 October 2011, with Israel releasing 450 Palestinian prisoners and Hamas transferring Shalit to Cairo.

The agreement is considered to be one of the largest prisoner exchange agreements Israel has ever made given that the as part of the agreement Israel agreed to release 1,027 prisoners for one captive Israeli soldier - the highest price Israel has ever paid for a single soldier.[1]

Background

Gilad Shalit was captured by Palestinian militants during a cross-border raid carried out on 25 June 2006.[2] At the time, he was a 19-year-old tank gunner in the Israel Defense Forces.[3] His captors held him in a secret location in the Gaza Strip for a total of 1,934 days leading up to the prisoner swap deal.[4] Earlier attempts to reach an agreement ended in failure.[5] While in captivity, Hamas refused to allow the International Red Cross access to Shalit, and the only indications that he was still alive were an audio tape, a video recording, and three letters.[6][7]

Prisoner exchange deal

The deal reached between Israel and Hamas was brokered by German and Egyptian mediators and signed in Cairo.[8] It stipulated the release of Gilad Shalit in exchange for 1,027 Israeli-held security prisoners.[9]

The agreement is to be implemented in two stages:

  • In the first stage, Gilad Shalit is to be transferred from the Gaza Strip to Egypt and from there to Israel; concurrently, Israel will release 450 prisoners.[10]
  • In the second stage, to take place two months later, another 577 prisoners would be released.[10]

Of the first 450, 294 will be released to Gaza, 96 will be returned to their homes in the West Bank, 40 will be deported, 14 will return to East Jerusalem, and six Arab-Israelis will be freed in Israel.[11]

Shortly after Benjamin Netanyahu announced that an agreement had been reached, the Israeli Cabinet convened in an emergency session to vote on the deal. Twenty-six ministers voted in favor of the deal while three voted against it – Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Minister of Strategic Affairs Moshe Ya'alon, and Minister of National Infrastructure Uzi Landau.[12] Ya'alon (Likud) argued that the prisoners would "go back to terrorism" and that they would destabilize the security situation in the West Bank.[13] Landau (Yisrael Beiteinu) warned that the deal would be "a huge victory for terror" and that it would encourage more abductions of Israelis.[14]

On the day of the release of Gilad Shalit, immediately after he would be transferred to the Red Cross, Israel would release 27 prisoners (most of whom would be allowed to return to East Jerusalem and the West Bank and two of them would be deported abroad). Afterwards the rest of the prisoners would be transferred in buses to the West Bank. Those to be expelled to Gaza or abroad, would be transferred first to Cairo.

On October 15 the Israeli Justice Ministry published the list of the 477 security prisoners that Israel intends to release as part of the first phase of the agreement.

Prominent prisoners to be released as part of the deal

Among the 1,027 prisoners expected to be released there is an unknown number of innocents and about 280 murderers sentenced to life imprisonment, including:

  • Aad Abu Sharah (19 life sentences), Majdi Amro (19 life sentences) and Fadi Muhammad al-Jabaa[15] (18 life sentences) - responsible for the attack on bus No. 37 in Haifa in 2002.
  • Abdel Aziz Salha - participant in the 2000 Ramallah lynching who was iconically photographed displaying his blood-stained hands to the Palestinian mob after having beaten an Israeli soldier to death.[15]
  • Abdel Hadi Ghneim - the surviving perpetrator of the Tel Aviv Jerusalem bus 405 suicide attack in which Ghneim seized the steering wheel of a crowded Egged commuter bus line No. 405 and managed to pull the bus into a ravine in the area of Qiryat Ye'arim. 16 civilians were killed in the attack.[16]
  • Abed Amro - took part in the execution of the Café Hillel bombing (2003).[17]
  • Ahmed Mustafa al-Najar - led a militant squad that killed 3 Israelis in shootings attacks.[15]
  • Amana Mouna - lured over the internet the 16-year-old Israeli high school student Ofir Rahum, pretending to be a young American tourist, managed to drive him to a remote area in the outskirts of Ramallah where a Palestinian militants showed up and shot Rahum at close range.[18]
  • Amar Sarhan - killed three Israelis with a knife in 1990.[17]
  • Bassam Abu Sneina and Riyad Asila – murdered the yeshiva student Chaim Kerman.[19]
  • Fahad Schludi - took part in the kidnapping and murder of the Israeli soldier Yaron Chen.[19]
  • Farouk Aramin - murdered 15-year-old Israeli schoolgirl Helena Rapp in 1994.[20]
  • Husam Badran - the former head of Hamas' military wing in the West Bank, who orchestrated the Dolphinarium discotheque suicide bombing (2001), Sbarro restaurant suicide bombing (2001) and in the Passover massacre (2002).[19]
  • Ibrahim Shamasneh - took part in the murder of the boys Ronen Kramni and Lior Tuboul, the taxi driver Rafi Doron and the soldier Yehushua Friedberg.
  • Idris Rajabi - carried out attacks in which 22 Israelis died.[17]
  • Jihad Yaghmur - took part in the murder of Nachshon Waxman. Originally sentenced to life imprisonment.[16]
  • Mohammed Aton, Moussa Akawi and Majed Abu Katish - militants that murdered the Israeli policeman Nissim Toledano in 1992.[21]
  • Muhammad Douglas - took part in the execution of the Sbarro restaurant suicide bombing in Jerusalem (2001).[19]
  • Muhammad Jose - responsible for the murder of the three Dickstein family members and the Israeli soldier Eliezer Lebowitz.[17]
  • Muhammad Karem - directly involved in the planning and execution of a bus attack in Haifa in which 15 Israelis were killed.[17]
  • Mohammed Youssef al-Sharatha - head of the militant squad that kidnapped and murdered the Israeli soldiers Ilan Saadon and Avi Sasportas during the first intifada. Originally sentenced to three consecutive life sentences.[16]
  • Mohamed (Nihad) Zakout - Tel Aviv construction worker who stabbed three Israelis, murdering two, on the holiday of Purim, March 21, 1989.[22][23]
  • Nasser Yataima - convicted of planning the Passover massacre (2002) in which 30 civilians were killed and 140 were wounded.[15]
  • Tamimi Ahlam - Assisted in the execution of the Sbarro restaurant suicide bombing (2001).[15][18]
  • Tariq Hassin - carried out the shooting attack on Highway 6 in June 2003, in which the 7-year-old girl Noam Leibowitz was killed.[19]
  • Walid Anajas - took part in the execution of the Café Moment bombing (2002), the Hebrew University bombing (2002) and the Rishon LeZion bombing (2002). Originally sentenced to 26 consecutive life sentences.[15]
  • Yehiye al-Sinwar - took part in the kidnapping and murder of Nachshon Waxman. Founder of the Hamas security apparatus in Gaza. His brother organized of the abduction of Gilad Shalit in 2006. Originally sentenced to four life sentences.[16]

Public reactions

Israel

Almagor, an Israeli organization representing victims of terrorism, criticized the Shalit deal as "a victory for terror and Hamas."[24] According to its figures, terrorists freed in past prisoner exchanges cost 180 Israelis their lives.[25] A man whose parents and three siblings were killed in the Sbarro restaurant suicide bombing vandalized the memorial to Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in Tel Aviv out of anger that two prisoners involved in the Sbarro attack were included in the swap deal.[26]

Commentator Nahum Barnea of Yedioth Aharonoth said that under the circumstances, considering that the alternative may have been to let Shalit die in captivity, the deal was unavoidable, despite its attendant security risks.[27]

Palestinian territories

Reactions to the swap deal in the Gaza Strip were mixed, with some convinced Hamas could have achieved a better deal from its perspective.[28] Shawan Jabrin, general director of Palestinian human rights organization Al Haq, said that the deportation of some prisoners to other countries "goes against the Geneva Conventions" and is part of an Israeli scheme to drive Palestinians out of the area.[29]

Official reactions

Israeli

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the deal struck "the right balance" between Israeli security risks and the imperative of returning Shalit "to his family and people."[30] President Shimon Peres thanked Netanyahu for what he called the prime minister's "brave decision" and said it was a time to embrace the families who lost their loved ones in terrorist attacks.[31] Opposition leader Tzipi Livni said she respected the government's decision and sent her blessings to the Shalit family and to all of Israel.[32] Israeli chief rabbis Shlomo Amar and Yona Metzger released a joint statement welcoming the deal.[33]

Palestinian

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas expressed support for the deal and said efforts would continue to secure the release of the remaining prisoners being held in Israel.[34] Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki questioned the timing of the swap deal, implying it may have been intended to marginalize the role of the Palestinian Authority and Abbas.[35]

Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal hailed the deal as a victory for the Palestinian people.[36]

International

  • France French president Nicolas Sarkozy warmly welcomed the agreement to free Shalit and thanked Egypt for its role in the negotiations.[37]
  • Germany Germany, which played a leading role in the prisoner swap negotiations, expressed its support for the deal.[38]
  • United Kingdom Foreign Secretary William Hague of the United Kingdom welcomed the agreement and expressed a hope that Shalit would be reunited with his family "as soon as possible."[40]
  • United States In the United States, spokesman Jay Carney said the White House was "pleased by the reports that Mr. Shalit will be home soon with his family."[41]

See also

References

  1. ^ MESS Report-Israel News - Haaretz Israeli News source
  2. ^ Bronner, Ethan (11 October 2011). "Netanyahu Announces Deal to Free Shalit". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  3. ^ Barker, Anne (12 October 2011). "Israel signs deal to bring captured soldier home". ABC News. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  4. ^ "Israeli soldier finally to head home". Montreal Gazette. AFP. 12 October 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  5. ^ Cutler, David (11 October 2011). "Timeline: Gilad Shalit, held for five years". Reuters. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  6. ^ "Hostage to Hamas: Gilad Shalit's five-year ordeal". France24. 12 October 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  7. ^ "'Time of Israel-Hamas prisoner swap not yet final'". Oman Daily Observer. Tel Aviv. DPA. 15 October 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  8. ^ Ravid, Barak (11 October 2011). "How it happened / The breakthrough that led to the Shalit deal". Haaretz. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  9. ^ Mishra, Harinder (12 October 2011). "Israel to release 1,027 prisoners for its lone soldier". IBN Live. Jerusalem. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  10. ^ a b http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4134307,00.html
  11. ^ "Israel awaits Shalit return after landmark deal inked". France24. AFP. 12 October 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  12. ^ "Israeli government approves deal with Hamas on Shalit". France24. AFP. 12 October 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  13. ^ Ravid, Barak (13 October 2011). "Lieberman walked out of Shalit deal debate, leaving 'no' vote behind". Haaretz. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  14. ^ Heller, Aron (12 October 2011). "Uzi Landau, Israeli Cabinet Minister, Slams Gilad Shalit Prisoner Swap Deal". The Huffington Post. Jerusalem. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  15. ^ a b c d e f Prisoner list includes planners o... JPost - Diplomacy & Politics
  16. ^ a b c d The Associated Press: Prominent Palestinian prisoners to be freed
  17. ^ a b c d e http://www.calcalist.co.il/local/articles/0,7340,L-3541373,00.html
  18. ^ a b "Prisoners Swap: Release of 450 Palestinians within One Week". Wafa. Tel Aviv. 12 October 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  19. ^ a b c d e http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4134795,00.html
  20. ^ http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4135750,00.html
  21. ^ On Release List: Kidnappers, Killers of Soldiers - Defense/Security - News - Israel National News
  22. ^ http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/10/17/172286.html
  23. ^ http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1998-12-16/news/1998350032_1_palestinian-prisoners-palestinians-and-israelis-prisoners-from-israeli
  24. ^ Joanna Paraszczuk; Melanie Lidman (14 October 2011). "Sbarro terror victims plan to petition High Court". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  25. ^ Azriel, Guy (14 October 2011). "Debate stirs in Israel: Is prisoner exchange worth the cost?". CNN. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  26. ^ "Rabin memorial defaced by victim's kin in protest of Shalit prisoner swap". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Jerusalem. 14 October 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  27. ^ "Israeli media lauds Shalit deal, with reservations". Khaleej Times. Jerusalem. AFP. 12 October 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  28. ^ Ofira Koopmans; Jeff Abramowitz (12 October 2011). "Analysis: Hamas boosted by prisoners' deal with Israel". Monsters and Critics. Tel Aviv. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  29. ^ Nour Samaha; Roxanne Horesh (12 October 2011). "Prisoners' dilemma: Swap stirs controversy". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  30. ^ Greenberg, Joel (11 October 2011). "Gilad Shalit, Israeli soldier held by Hamas, to be released as part of deal, Netanyahu announces". The Washington Post. Jerusalem. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  31. ^ Hasson, Nir (12 October 2011). "Gilad Shalit's family leaves Jerusalem protest site to head home". Haaretz. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  32. ^ "Livni: I respect gov't decision on Schalit deal". Jerusalem Post. 12 October 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  33. ^ Somfalvi, Attila (11 October 2011). "Lieberman to oppose Shalit deal". Ynetnews. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  34. ^ "Abbas applauds Israel-Hamas prisoner deal". Ma'an News Agency. Caracas, Venezuela. 12 October 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  35. ^ "Palestine split on Gilad Shalit swap". Hürriyet Daily News. Jerusalem/Paris. 13 October 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  36. ^ "Gilad Shalit: Israel and Hamas agree prisoner swap deal". BBC. 11 October 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  37. ^ "Sarkozy congratulates Noam Shalit on prisoner exchange deal". Ynetnews. AFP. 12 October 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  38. ^ Eddy, Melissa (11 October 2011). "Germany supports Schalit release". Taiwan News. Associated Press. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  39. ^ "Turkey welcomes Israeli-Palestinian prisoner swap deal". Hürriyet Daily News. Ankara. AFP. 12 October 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  40. ^ "U.K. 'welcomes' Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange deal". Haaretz. 11 October 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  41. ^ "White House 'pleased' at Shalit deal". Yahoo! News. AFP. 12 October 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
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