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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Hamas willing to release Shalit for long-term truce |
| 2009-02-14 |
| (AKI) - The Islamist Hamas movement says it's ready to release kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and endorse a long-term truce with Israel, according to a report by Arab daily, al-Hayat. The report said Hamas would endorse the Egyptian-brokered deal providing Israel agreed to the list of prisoners Hamas is seeking in exchange for Shalit. Shalit would be freed as part of a prisoner exchange with Israel that would see as many as 1,000 Palestinians, including women and children released. The move would be part of a broader 18-month truce between Hamas and Israel, due to be reached within two days. "We have accepted the truce with the Israeli side for a year and a half, in which the six crossings between the Gaza Strip and Israel will be opened, while Israel has to stop any military aggression," said senior Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of the Hamas political bureau, quoted by Egypt's state news agency MENA. However, Marzouk said that Israel still had to agree to the list. "We want the release of our detainees in exchange for Shalit," said Marzouk, adding that Hamas has already submitted its preferred list of names of Palestinian prisoners. "If Israel agrees to our list, we will make the deal." However, Hamas has demanded the release of 1,400 prisoners, but diplomats have said Israel would free closer to 1,000. The truce says that Egypt must open the Rafah border crossings under supervision from international monitors and border guards. Turkey may also send a force to oversee operations at Rafah. There would also be a 300-metre buffer zone established along Gaza's border with Israel. |
| Posted by:Fred |