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World Jewish News
Hamas to Egypt: Declare Israel guilty for failure of Shalit talks
18.03.2009
Hamas called on Egypt Wednesday to declare Israel responsible for the failure of talks aimed at finalizing a prisoner exchange and the release of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
"It is up to Egypt, which oversaw the negotiations, to publish a clear stance and to expose to the world how the Zionists thwarted the deal," the Palestinian Islamic group said in a message published in the London-based Arabic-language daily al-Hayat.
Hamas claims the bone of contention between it and Israel was over Israel's insistence on deporting senior Hamas prisoners, rather than allowing them to return to their to their homes in the West Bank and Gaza, and not because of a dispute over the actual number of prisoners to be released.
Israeli negotiators Ofer Dekel and Yuval Diskin said Hamas hardened its stance and insisted upon the release of terrorists that Israel has no intention of letting out of prison.
Hamas officials told al-Hayat that Israel offered to deport 90 prisoners from the West Bank and 30 prisoners from the Gaza Strip.
Al-Hayat also reported that senior Hamas officials have threatened to capture more Israeli soldiers in order to free Palestinian prisoners. They were quoted as saying that "If Israel continues to drag its feet, Gilad Shalit will suffer the same fate as Ron Arad."
Источник: Haaretz
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