Israel Matzav

Claim that Assad sought Shalit's release

YNet is reporting - based on an independent 'Palestinian' web site - that Syrian President Bashar Assad sought to force Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal to release kidnapped Israeli Corporal Gilad Shalit after the Israel Air Force buzzed his summer palace last week.

According to YNet:

Independent Palestinian website PNN reported Wednesday evening of a stormy meeting held recently between Syrian President Basher Assad and senior Hamas leaders in Damascus.

According to the report, Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashaal was ordered by Assad to release kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.

I have one small problem with this: I went to PNN's web site and I did not find the story there. Could it have been removed? Sure. But within twenty minutes after the YNet story went up?

YNet goes on to report that Mashaal and other Hamas top figures rejected Assad's demand, and left Damascus for Algeria, as did most of Hamas' 'politburo.'

YNet continues:

A few days ago, the Lebanese Al-Nahar newspaper reported of estimates that Mashaal left Syria for an Arab country in North Africa, the name of which was not mentioned. The paper said that senior organization members were taking increased precautions for fear that they will be targeted.

According to the report, Mashaal and his people left Damascus for fear they will be hurt, but the PNN report shed new light on the Hamas members' departure from Damascus and on their relations with the Syrian president.

Hamas' spokesman in the Gaza Strip, Mushir al-Masri, responded in a conversation with Ynet to the report, saying that he was not familiar with the incident and cannot address it. He added, however, that he believed the information was not true.

I will continue to try to follow this story.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:09 PM