Israel Matzav

A 'gesture' to whom and what does it mean for the Shalit negotiations?

Eventually resigning Prime Minister Ehud K. Olmert met on Wednesday with 'moderate' 'Palestinian' President Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen and agreed to free more than 150 'Palestinian' prisoners terrorists as yet another 'goodwill gesture' to the ineffectual Abu Mazen.

Olmert spokesman Mark Regev announced the pledge after a meeting between the two leaders.

"The Israeli side will be releasing Palestinian prisoners towards the end of August ... as a gesture of goodwill," said Regev. The spokesman did not say if jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti would be among the freed prisoners.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, who took part in the meeting at Olmert's official residence, said Abbas specifically requested the release of Marwan Barghouti, jailed for life by Israel for involvement in deadly attacks on Israelis. He said Abbas also asked for the release of Ahmed Saadat, leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, who is in an Israeli prison after his group claimed responsibility for assassinating an Israeli Cabinet minister.

According to Erekat, these names were on a list the Palestinian Authority has submitted to Israel of prisoners whom it wishes freed, including some who have already been jailed for many years and others who suffer from serious health problems.

An Israeli official said Olmert refused to commit to those names.

The release is expected to take place on August 25. In December 2007, Israel freed more than 400 'Palestinian' terrorists in a 'gesture' meant to strengthen Abu Mazen. It didn't work the last time and there is no reason to believe it will work this time.

But Amos Harel suggests that this may not be a 'gesture' to Abu Mazen at all. This 'gesture' may be directed at Hezbullah's Hassan Nasrallah.

Israel completed its part of the prisoner swap deal with Hezbollah Wednesday when it released five Palestinian youths held for throwing rocks, as a special good-will gesture to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. The prisoners were released as the final step in the deal, which saw the return of the bodies of abducted Israeli Defense Forces soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser.

The Israeli gesture was minimal, as Hezbollah had originally demanded the release of hundreds of Palestinians, including murderers. Israel refused, and succeeded in lowering the number of prisoners and the crimes involved to a minimum. As such, the prisoners were not just small fish, they were hardly minnows.

But here is an interesting coincidence: A few hours after the five prisoner youths returned home to their families, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced another gesture - this one to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Israel said it would free over 100 Palestinian prisoners within a month.

Is there a connection between the two acts? Officially, Israel denies it. But the fact is that for nine months, since the Annapolis Summit, no such similar gestures were made.

As long as Goldwasser and Regev's bodies were held in Lebanon, no Palestinian prisoners were released. And now, suddenly and with no connection, over 100 prisoners are to go free.

Harel goes on to point out that Nasrallah insisted all along on some 'Palestinians' being released in the Kuntar deal - something he also insisted when Israel got back drug dealer Elhanan Tanenbaum in the 2004 'live terrorists for corpses and drug dealer' trade. And Israelis have been told that the information Nasrallah provided on Ron Arad was 'insufficient' (and worse) and therefore he was being 'punished' by having only five 'prisoners' released. But what if it's really 155? And what if Israel makes another 'gesture' to Abu Mazen that happens to raise the number of terrorists released in a future Gilad Shalit deal from the 450 to which Israel has allegedly agreed to 650 or 1000 or more?

Hmmm.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:28 AM