Poll: 61% of "Israelis" in Favor of Releasing Kintar
Source: Al-Manar TV, 20-06-2008
As a prisoner exchange between ‘Israel' and Hizbullah looks imminent, the ‘Israeli' public has expressed its support for a deal which would include the release of senior detainee in ‘Israeli' prisons Samir Kintar, who is considered a key bargaining chip in the affair of missing ‘Israel' Air Force navigator Ron Arad.
According to a poll conducted by the Dahaf Institute and published by ‘Israeli' daily Yedioth Ahronoth on Friday, 61% of the respondents support Kintar's release, even if captured Israeli soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Godlwasser "are no longer alive."
‘Israeli' War Minister Ehud Barak met on Friday with Goldwasser and Regev families in order to press them to back the swap deal.
According to information gathered so far, the prisoner swap deal with Hezbollah has entered an advanced stage and could be implemented shortly. As part of the deal, Regev and Goldwasser will be returned to Israel, while Kintar, four other Hizbullah detainees and some 10 martyr's bodies will be delivered to Lebanon through German mediation.
Barak has said that if Regev and Godlwasser are dead, releasing Kintar in exchange for their bodies would create a dangerous precedent. However, it is unclear whether he will oppose the prisoner swap deal when it is brought to the government's approval.
HAD KINTAR BEEN RETURNED EARLIER, YOU (OLMERT) WOULD NOT BE READING MY LETTER TODAY: GOLDWASSER MOTHER
On Sunday, the families will meet with the other cabinet ministers, who also may need to ratify the deal. Goldwasser's mother Miki Goldwasser demands a prisoner swap with Hezbollah "even if that means releasing Samir Kintar." Goldwasser told ‘Israeli' daily Haaretz on Thursday that she cannot imagine the government or cabinet not approving a deal.
Goldwasser wrote to ‘Israeli' Prime Minister Ehud Olmert late Wednesday night after meeting with the coordinator of the prisoner exchange, Ofer Dekel. Goldwasser criticized in the letter for not releasing Kintar sooner. "On the claim that if Kuntar is returned, more will be kidnapped in the future, I can only say that had he been returned in the [Elhanan] Tennenbaum deal, you would not be reading my letter today," she said.
Eldad Regev's brother Eyal told Ynet that he calls on the ‘Israeli' government and cabinet members not to miss this opportunity, and vote for the deal as soon as possible. "We simply must return them now, because there is no other way to remove this terrible doubt from our lives."
As a prisoner exchange between ‘Israel' and Hizbullah looks imminent, the ‘Israeli' public has expressed its support for a deal which would include the release of senior detainee in ‘Israeli' prisons Samir Kintar, who is considered a key bargaining chip in the affair of missing ‘Israel' Air Force navigator Ron Arad.
According to a poll conducted by the Dahaf Institute and published by ‘Israeli' daily Yedioth Ahronoth on Friday, 61% of the respondents support Kintar's release, even if captured Israeli soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Godlwasser "are no longer alive."
‘Israeli' War Minister Ehud Barak met on Friday with Goldwasser and Regev families in order to press them to back the swap deal.
According to information gathered so far, the prisoner swap deal with Hezbollah has entered an advanced stage and could be implemented shortly. As part of the deal, Regev and Goldwasser will be returned to Israel, while Kintar, four other Hizbullah detainees and some 10 martyr's bodies will be delivered to Lebanon through German mediation.
Barak has said that if Regev and Godlwasser are dead, releasing Kintar in exchange for their bodies would create a dangerous precedent. However, it is unclear whether he will oppose the prisoner swap deal when it is brought to the government's approval.
HAD KINTAR BEEN RETURNED EARLIER, YOU (OLMERT) WOULD NOT BE READING MY LETTER TODAY: GOLDWASSER MOTHER
On Sunday, the families will meet with the other cabinet ministers, who also may need to ratify the deal. Goldwasser's mother Miki Goldwasser demands a prisoner swap with Hezbollah "even if that means releasing Samir Kintar." Goldwasser told ‘Israeli' daily Haaretz on Thursday that she cannot imagine the government or cabinet not approving a deal.
Goldwasser wrote to ‘Israeli' Prime Minister Ehud Olmert late Wednesday night after meeting with the coordinator of the prisoner exchange, Ofer Dekel. Goldwasser criticized in the letter for not releasing Kintar sooner. "On the claim that if Kuntar is returned, more will be kidnapped in the future, I can only say that had he been returned in the [Elhanan] Tennenbaum deal, you would not be reading my letter today," she said.
Eldad Regev's brother Eyal told Ynet that he calls on the ‘Israeli' government and cabinet members not to miss this opportunity, and vote for the deal as soon as possible. "We simply must return them now, because there is no other way to remove this terrible doubt from our lives."
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