Jerusalem – Israel’s prime minister says a captured Israeli soldier held by Hamas militants will be home in the “coming days” after a prisoner exchange was agreed on.
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Benjamin Netanyahu said late Tuesday that a deal with Hamas was initialed last Thursday and signed earlier Tuesday.
The deal would free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including many convicted in deadly attacks on Israelis, in exchange for Sgt. Gilad Schalit.
Netanyahu said in a televised address that he understands the pain of Israeli families who have lost loved ones to Palestinian violence. But he said he got “the best deal we could get” given the turmoil in the region.
More details shortly.
Israeli and Hamas have reached a deal to free a captured Israeli soldier held in the Gaza Strip in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, officials from both sides said Tuesday, capping five years of painful negotiations that have repeatedly collapsed in fingerpointing and violence.
The deal would bring home Sgt. Gilad Schalit, who was captured in a cross-border raid in June 2006 by Palestinian militants who burrowed into Israel and dragged him into Gaza. Little has been known about his fate since then.
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, convened an urgent meeting Tuesday night with his Cabinet to approve the deal, said an Israeli official, who spoke on condition pending a formal announcement. Hamas officials and media outlets also confirmed the deal.
The agreement would exchange Schalit, 25, for around 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israel had previously balked at Hamas’ demands because some of the prisoners are serving lengthy sentences for deadly attacks on Israelis.
Other sticking points in the past have been whether prisoners would be allowed to return home to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, or be sent into exile instead. Exact details of the deal were not immediately available.
A Hamas delegation led by a top Hamas official, Mahmoud Zahar, arrived in Cairo Monday night from the group’s headquarters in Syria. The deal would be implemented within days, said Ezzat Rishq, a Hamas official in the delegation.
Schalit’s plight has captured the attention of Israel, where military service is mandatory for Jewish citizens, and people identify with the Schalit family’s pain.
Hamas has allowed no access to Schalit, and released only a brief audio recording and a videotaped statement early in his five years in captivity.
The soldier’s father, Noam, has become a well-known public figure through a a campaign to win his son’s freedom, leading demonstrations and sleeping in a tent outside Netanyahu’s residence.
Dozens of Israelis converged on the tent late Tuesday to offer support to the family. The tiny structure is decorated with pictures of Schalit, as well as a large sign with the number 1,934, the number of days he has been in captivity.
Schalit’s parents sat in the tent, smiling as people flooded to the area and cars honked horns in excitement.
Likewise, the plight of Palestinian prisoners is deeply emotional among Palestinians. Virtually every Palestinian has a relative who has served time in an Israeli prison, and Palestinians routinely hold large demonstrations where they hold up posters of their imprisoned loved ones.
Announcement of the deal coincided with a hunger strike launched by hundreds of Palestinian prisoners seeking better conditions. The prisoners had been demanding the restoration of key privileges, such as having Arabic TV channels and being allowed to take university course, which have been systematically stripped since Schalit’s captured.
It was unknown whether the leader of the hunger strike, Ahmed Saadat, or the most prominent prisoner, Marwan Barghouti, would be included in the deal.
Saadat was convicted of planning the assassination of an Israeli Cabinet minister in 2001. Barghouti was the top local commander of Fatah, the movement of President Mahmoud Abbas, when he was arrested in 2002 and convicted of a role in deadly attacks against Israelis. He is serving multiple life terms.
Neither Saadat nor Barghouti belongs to Hamas, but Hamas is eager to portray itself as representing all Palestinians. The Islamic militant group is in a bitter rivalry with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is enjoying a burst of popularity after defying Israel and the U.S. and seeking membership for the Palestinians at the U.N.
Salah Bardawil, a top Hamas official in Gaza, said the revolution in neighboring Egypt had also helped fuel a deal. He said the new regime “undertook tireless efforts” to broker an agreement.
“Israel began to feel trust in the Egyptian side … and we put all our trust in the new Egyptian leadership as a trusted mediator,” he said. “The changes in the region have forced the timing on all of us.”
The Palestinians have been divided between rival governments, Abbas’ Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas’ regime in Gaza, since Hamas overran the coastal strip in 2007.
The exchange would include Amina Mona, a young woman who lured a lovestruck Israeli teenage boy to a Palestinian city over the Internet, only to have him killed by waiting militants, according to Mohammed al-Barem, a leader of the Popular Resistance Committees, one of the groups that captured Schalit. He gave no other names, but said it included 300 prisoners serving life sentences.
Israeli groups representing the families of people killed by Palestinian militants have objected to a prisoner swap, saying it would be too painful to allow their children’s murderers to go free.
Netanyahu is eager for a domestic boost. The Israeli leader has faced growing criticism for a deadlock in peace efforts with the Palestinians, as well as a series of domestic protests over the country’s steep cost of living. Bringing Schalit home is sure to make Netanyahu a hero.
German and Egyptian mediators tried to broker deals between Israel and Hamas over the past five years. Those talks have repeatedly broke down, and Israel has carried out a number of military strikes and also imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip, partly to pressure Hamas over the case of the soldier.
i think its very stupid to make deals with the arabs, for them to capture 1 isreali is no big deal, now isreal will free 1000 militants, & they will get back schalit, & god forbid a day after the swap the will capture another isreali chas veshalom!
What will happen when those dogs will be let loose???? Is Israel for real????? I cant believe this!!!
That is retarded!!!! How many innocent lives will this cost??
Mazel tov to the Schalit family!! However, I wonder what halacha mandates in these situations? Deals like this will only encourage hostile factions to take more Israeli hostages in the future…
THANK GOD
I hope it will happen, but I won’t believe it until I see it.
“….Virtually every Palestinian has a relative who has served time in an Israeli prison” – what does that tell you about “virtually every palestinian”!…
Every Jewish neshama is worth more than we can imagine, but if 1,000 arab terrorists are released won’t that end up costing us several more Yiddish neshamas?
I truly hope the Gedolei Yisroel were counseled.
Baruch hashem!!!
Bh!! I’m so happy for the fam and for gilad but does any1 have an answer my son just asked me “what stops these low lives from kid napping jewish precious ppl if they know in the end they’ll send him back and get 1000 of their rats back out of jail in exchange ” I mean lets say the feds tell a bank robber that walked out with $50,000 in cash the other wk drop us off the $$ we know u took last monday and we’ll waive your income taxes for the next 20 yrs ? There would be bank robberies every other wk -No? I’m not saying don’t do the exchange I’m just trying to understand -any1 ???
hope he comes home sone
this is a real case of pidyom shivium
this is only the beginning of this story
Oy Veiy I wish all the best to Shalit and his family, but hope that this doesn’t led to more jewish blood being spilled lo alinu. No question in my mind that most of these 1000 prisoners are very dangerous
1) MA GADLU MASECHA HASHEM!! I HOPE AND PRAY HE COMES HOME SOON!!
2) The article says:
“Likewise, the plight of Palestinian prisoners is deeply emotional among Palestinians.”
I understand that you are quoting an AP story, but please don’t write, “likewise”, as if there is some kind of equivalency between families of Palestinian terrorists in Israeli prisons and Noam Shalit, whose son was kidnapped by those chayos.
I hope they have verified that he is alive
hope they asked halachic shaila as this is not a simple matter as will lead to more kidnappings and more bombings RL.
How do we know they are not negotiating for a dead body chas vesholom?
Tactically, the addition of 1,000 fighters makes zero difference. It doesn’t matter if you are fighting 1,000,000 or 1,001,000. The security apparatus remains the same. The only issue is with respect to prisoners with special skills such as bombmaking or other combat-related tech expertise. The Palestinians have been trying to kidnap soldiers since 1948 so this does little to encourage them to conduct themselves as they would anyway. Bring our boy back. The rest will work itself out.
I think it is great. Gaza is pretty much a big prison anyway and there are no shortage of Palestinian terrorists its not like a few more will make a difference; Besides some of these released terrorists will undoubtedly be targeted by the IDF in the near future. Mazel Tov to the Schalit family and good hunting to the IDF
“… Likewise, the plight of Palestinian prisoners is deeply emotional among Palestinians. …”
It looks like AP is comparing Gilad Schalit and Arabs in Israeli jails. The difference, of course, is the latter are in jail for terror activities. The former was kidnapped.
“… Israel has carried out a number of military strikes and imposed a blockade over the Gaza Strip to pressure Hamas. …”
This statement is patently false. Israel carried out military strikes and imposed a blockade because Hamas was firing rockets at Israel. This is known as self-defence.
AP, why are you placing a pro-Arab spin on the news (twice in the same story)? … Are you becoming the new CNN?
Is the U.N. paying attention? If one Israeli captive is to be exchanged for 1000 Arabs, does it not follow that if one Israeli is killed, G-d forbid, 1000 Arabs paying the price is not excessive punishment?
problem is; now the world will say Hamas is a org. capable to do deals with, and that Israel and the world should talk with them, just as was done with the PLO two centuries ago.
Netanyahu says “we got the best deal we could” for Shalits release. I strongly disagree. Who said he needed to get a deal that would result in the release of hundreds of Palestinian terrorist. The life of one soldier is not worth more than all of those niftar in prior attacks as well as the future attacks that some of these released terrorists will certainly undertake. What a sad day for eretz yisroel. Netanyahu again shows he can pander to the political groups he needs to stay in office.
I agree with #17 and #20 . If he is alive and well after these 5+ years, it will be a miracle.
#17 ’s math is exactly right. They are already trying at max to kidnap and do terror. Adding a tenth of a percent of new terrorists will not make much of a difference. The pain of Gilad and his familly is impossible to describe. He must get out.
Baruch Hashem. This should have been handled like Entebbe, within days of his capture showing that Israel will not tolerate such actions. It is always a sweet deal for Hammas getting a thousand prisoners for one Israeli.
ALL you idiots that can’t understand how the israeli government can do duch a thing…… IF IT WAS YOUR KID YOU WOULDN’T CARE IF THEY WOULD RELEASE 10000 OF THESE ANIMALS you would want your kid home
Now we understand the “possuk” k’cochvei hashomayim lurov & v’samti zaracho k’afar haaretz while in numbers we are the least of all nations but if one precious jewish kid is worth (l’havdil) 1000 arabs we number about 14,000,000,000 (BILLION)
So much great advice and criticism from a group that generally does not serve in the army.
It’s a difficult decision and I can easily see both sides. I’ve lost close family to terror attacks and really don’t want to see some of these animals freed. Yet as a father of former, current and future soliders, I can feel the pain of the Schalits.
Rav Ovadia has come out for the deal and I admire his boldness in taking a point of view and making it known. Most of the Gedolim, as usual, have not commented, nor for the past 1,900 some days have they encouraged their followers to daven or to say special tefillos for this safety. But that’s a story for another day.
I hope they put tagging devices into these animals so the Israeli govt. can track them, and if they get into Israel ….. KABOOM!
bibi is no fool, he did the best deal he couldJjust goes to show u how much we value a life. it’s way due time for shalit to be released. any day he comes home to his family will be a yomtov !!!!!
I’m getting a cold chill up my spine with this deal.
It’s about time that Israel executes convicted terrorists with blood on their hands.
Once they are gone you can’t deal for them.
what about the maram mrottenberg story he refused to be released because
it only encourages more captured soldiers.
I agree with #32 . All of these pompous and self righteous comments are coming from individuals, who have no concept of what it is to be mentally tortured and locked in a dungeon for hours on end. Eventually, EY may have to release all of the thousands of Palestinians prisoners which it holds, whether it is a popular decision or not. Many people have no rachmunos for the suffering of Gilad Shalit and his family.
Some of the incidents that happened this year in Israel, were caused by terrorists who were freed and then went on their merry way!! Back to making terror!! I am betwixt and between — I feel happy that Shalit will be freed but at what price to the rest of the Israeli public at large?? He is only one person and I know he has been held captive for a long time, but 1,000 terrorists with blood on their hands!! It is just not fair!! Look at his condition and look at the terrorists!! When has Schalit last seen a Doctor? We do not know what we are getting!!
ALL you idiots that can’t understand how the israeli government can do duch a thing…… IF IT WAS YOUR KID YOU WOULDN’T CARE IF THEY WOULD RELEASE 10000 OF THESE ANIMALS you would want your kid home
this is catch 23 either way you go your backs against the wall.
the us army would never negotiate with terrorist.. Israel should learn from america
i think its very stupid to make deals with the arabs,
someone please show me where its permissable to let rodfim lose on the streets “as pidyon shvuyim” for someone who isnt even shomrei torah umitzvos???
NEW EXCHANGE RATE
All convicted savages with blood on their hands get executed.
Otherwise, one savage for one soldier.
I agree with #32 . You can all talk about how this is a stupid deal. But if it were your child c”v sitting with these murderers for years and suffering who knows what from their abuse,yYou would be most anxious for the gov’t to find ANY possible way to free your child. Until you have walked in the Schalit’s shoes, don’t jump to conclusions. Neso b’ol chavero. Have some compassion. Everyone knows this is not the best way of freeing him, the goal is TO FREE HIM. Gut Yom Tov to all!
!שהחיינו וקיימנו והגיענו לזמן הזה, ב”ה
It seems that this deal is against Halacha. “Ein poden shviim yoser m’kdei shavyon”
This is a crazy deal which Israel will learn to regret however painful this may be for the Shalit family one has to think of the consequences of such an exchange This invites more terrorism its unacceptable
Fools! How many of you live in israel? All of these 1000 animals will return to terror, if they get re-arrested big deal they will be out next swap
I would like to make two points. First, if not for the possiblity of receiving prisoners in exchange for Gilad they would have killed him. And, they would attempt to kidnap Israeli soldiers just to kill them. Second, there are thousands of terrorists who want to do Israel harm and B’siyata Deshmaya they are prevented by Israel, so releasing them won’t make a difference.
R’ Rabbi Hershel Schachter gave a shiur about whether the mitzva of pidyon shivuyim applies to Gilad Schalit a couple of years ago. You can google Koleinu Redeeming Captives, Should Israel Negotiate? to hear it.
Hard to agree or disagree. As far as halacha goes see yoreh de’ah siman 252 siff 4 and 5. And don’t skip all the little letters on the side:) I’m just praying that all recent restraint from israelis was in hope of getting gilad back or fear of accidentally blowing him up. And now it will be no holds barred.
Dozens if not hundreds of citizens will pay with their lives for this agreement, which is part of a larger agreement. This violates the Mishna and the tenets set down by the Maharam of Rotenberg, who refused to permit a large ransom to be paid to be freed from prison, and died in prison, basing his ruling on that same Mishnah.