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World Jewish News
'Ministers' declarations hurt Shalit talks'
17.03.2009
Israeli sources involved in negotiations over Gilad Shalit accused ministers on Tuesday of having seriously harmed the talks by making declarations in support of paying a high price to secure the abducted soldier's release.
The sources' comments came after the indirect talks in Cairo between Israel and Hamas that would free Shalit in return for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners had failed to achieve a breakthrough.
"The conduct of ministers gave Hamas a feeling that the domestic pressure in Israel was intolerable," the sources said. "They saw this as an opportunity and radically toughened their demands, out of an understanding that Israel would agree to this."
Both the Israeli negotiators and outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's bureau are stressing that the talks will not be halted. They believe, however, that the negotiations' fate has been sealed for the prime minister's remaining time in office.
They said it is likely that the talks will continue along quieter channels, but only after Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu takes office and formulates his policy on the matter.
At a special meeting of the cabinet Tuesday, Olmert will say that "Israel has drawn back its red lines as far as possible, but Hamas foiled the negotiations. Under these conditions it is not possible to reach an agreement."
After two days of intense indirect negotiations, Olmert's special envoy on the prisoner exchange, Ofer Dekel, and Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin returned from Egypt Monday night. At a briefing for Olmert and his advisers, the two blamed Hamas for what they called its unwillingness to show flexibility to reach an agreement.
Dekel and Diskin told Olmert that Hamas had actually toughened its stance and returned to positions it had held in the negotiations a year ago.
Source: Diskin, Dekel 'shocked' at new Hamas demands
Sources said Monday that at a certain point Diskin and Dekel sent over the final Israeli offer. When the Egyptian officials returned with the Hamas offer the two Israelis were shocked to realize that the Islamist group had posed new demands.
"They raised demands of someone who did not wish for a solution," a source said the two men had told Olmert. "The demands came out of nowhere and there was a huge discrepancy between that and things that had been discussed in the past."
Most of the Hamas demands revolved around several dozen prisoners that the group wants freed, and over the issue of whether the freed prisoners would be allowed to return home to the West Bank.
"Despite generous offers put forth by Israel in order to further and conclude the negotiations and gain Shalit's release, Hamas opted to reject everything," the Prime Minister's Bureau said in a statement Monday night.
At 2 P.M. Tuesday a special cabinet meeting is scheduled to take place to discuss the Shalit case. The ministers will be briefed fully on the developments in the indirect talks.
A senior cabinet minister expressed puzzlement Monday night that Olmert wanted to go ahead with the special cabinet meeting when there was no deal.
"The expectations among the public have been raised very high, while in practice there is no agreement. If there is no agreement, then we best wait for the weekly meeting on Sunday," the minister said.
Meanwhile, a senior Egyptian source told Haaretz that there were significant difficulties in the negotiations. The source said progress in the deal depends on "political decisions that Israel must make."
The source said the main dispute was the number of prisoners released who would be expelled from the West Bank. Hamas appears to agree to the expulsion of only five prisoners on its list, while Israel wants to send dozens abroad.
Senior Hamas figures Monday rejected earlier reports of progress in the talks.
Khalil al-Haya, one of the leaders of the group in the Gaza Strip, told Haaretz Monday that news of progress "is media exaggeration."
The prime minister's military secretary, Maj. Gen. Meir Klifi, updated Shalit's father Noam on the details of the meetings in Cairo.
Olmert also briefed Netanyahu, who had hoped the Shalit case would be over before he took office.
"It is no secret that the last thing that Bibi wants is to have to make a decision on Shalit," a senior source at Likud told Haaretz, using Netanyahu's nickname. "He had hoped that this matter would be over during Olmert's tenure, so he is backing him and is not interfering," the source added.
"Nearly every person from Likud who has been designated to be a minister prefers to see the current government decide the Shalit matter. It is a huge burden."
Netanyahu himself is not commenting on the developments, but is regularly updated by Olmert.
During the election campaign he asked senior Likud figures not to comment on the Shalit case.
Meanwhile, Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi cut short his visit to the United States and returned to Israel two days early to be able to take part in the special cabinet meeting Tuesday.
Ashkenazi had been in the United States for meetings at the Pentagon and took part in the annual dinner given by the friends association of the IDF in the United States.
During his stay in the U.S. he met with Gen. James Jones, the national security adviser of President Barack Obama, and the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General James Cartwright. Ashkenazi also met with the special adviser to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Iran, Dennis Ross.
At the IDF, sources said Askhkenazi's cutting his U.S. visit short is not a reflection of optimism or pessimism regarding the chances that the prisoner exchange will take place and Shalit will be freed.
By Barak Ravid, Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondents (Mazal Mualem and Anshel Pfeffer contributed to this report)
Источник: Haaretz
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