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Israel rejects negotiations, holds Syria & Palestine responsible for soldiers safety
Israel on Monday rejected an ultimatum from Palestinian militants holding an Israeli soldier, saying it will not negotiate on their demand to release Palestinian prisoners.Israel was answering a demand from the three Palestinian militant groups who claimed responsibility for the June 25 kidnapping of Cpl. Gilad Shalit. The groups set a Tuesday morning deadline for Israel to begin releasing Palestinian prisoners or suffer unspecified "consequences." The groups said the matter would be "closed" if Israel did not respond by the deadline. As the day wore on, Ghazi Hamad, a spokesman for the Hamas-led Palestinian leadership, said his government was not involved in negotiations for Shalit's release but described Israel's continued military strikes as "complicating" efforts to find an end to the crisis. He also called on Israel to deal with what he called the "tragedy" of almost 10,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails. Mark Regev, a spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, said Monday evening that releasing the soldier unconditionally could end the Israeli military operation in Gaza. He warned that Hamas politicians who act like terrorists "will be treated as terrorists." Asked if that meant that Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya would be targeted for assassination, Regev said the Hamas political leadership had expressed approval for the kidnapping and added, "All the Hamas leadership has to be seen as culpable." Israeli Justice Minister Haim Ramon was more blunt. "If, God forbid, they should hurt the soldier, our operations will be far, far worse," Ramon told Israeli Channel 2. The Israeli government said it holds the Palestinian Authority responsible for the fate of the captured Israeli soldier. "The government of Israel would not yield to any blackmail by the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas government led by murderous terror organizations," a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said. "We will not hold any negotiations over release of prisoners. The Palestinian Authority carries full responsibility for the safety of Gilad Shalit." Syria would also be held accountable for Shalit's safety, Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz said, because Hamas militants involved in the abduction are based in Damascus, according to The Associated Press. "I suggest that [Syrian President] Bashar Assad, who is trying to operate with his eyes shut tight, open his eyes, because he is responsible," AP quoted Peretz as saying. The situation escalated Monday when the three militant groups faxed their ultimatum to news agencies. "We are giving the Zionist enemy until tomorrow, July 4, at 6 a.m. [11 p.m. ET Monday]. If they do not answer our humanitarian demands, the enemy will be responsible for all future consequences," the statement said. The statement did not specify what the consequences would be if the deadline passed without action. It was released by the military wing of the ruling Hamas party; the Popular Resistance Committees; and the Army of Islam. "The Israeli position is that we are not surrendering to blackmail and or any ultimatum," said Israeli Army Chief of Staff Dan Halutz after he visited the family of the captured soldier. Hamad appealed for negotiations late Monday, according to AP. "Since the kidnapping of the Israeli soldier, we have called for the need to protect his life and solve the problem through calm diplomatic channels," AP quoted the senior member of the Hamas political wing as saying. Posted by: Oztralian 2006-07-03 |
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