Swap Deal Soon or Price Goes Up ~ Tel Aviv Votes Sunday
Source: Al-Manar TV, 25-6-2008
A Lebanese daily editor warned Wednesday that if the swap deal with "Israel" is not consummated soon, Hizbullah will increase its asking price for the two "Israeli" soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, it has held captive since July 2006.
"What is clear now is the room to maneuver has been shut completely," Ibrahim al-Amin, the editor in chief of Al-Akhbar wrote in an article appearing in Wednesday's edition.
""Israel" stands before its only opportunity in the coming days, and if it loses it, then the resistance (Hizbullah) will not view itself as obligated to compromise. Rather it will have a chance to enhance its terms in a thousand ways."
On Tuesday, Goldwasser's wife, Karnit, announced that "Israeli" Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has promised that the deal with Hizbullah for release of the two "Israeli" occupation soldiers it captured will be brought to the cabinet on Sunday. The "Israeli" Prime Minister's Office refused to confirm her report. Karnit spoke to the media after she presented Olmert with a letter from her lawyers demanding that the security cabinet meet to approve the deal, which includes the release of Lebanese detainee Samir Kintar.
The lawyers also demanded that Olmert "immediately bring to the ministerial committee for discussion the agreements reached by Mr. [Ofer] Dekel on behalf of the state in the negotiations with Hizbullah through international intermediaries." The lawyers asked for a response within 48 hours and warned that if their demands were not met, they would take the matter to court.
In the letter, addressed both to Olmert and "Israeli" War Minister Ehud Barak, she also insisted that until the meeting was held, the "Israeli" army should suspend deliberations, begun Monday night, to determine if her husband and Regev should be declared dead.
The lawyers also wrote a letter to Sephardi Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger and "Israeli" army Chief Rabbi Avihai Ronsky calling on them not to conduct an investigation to determine whether Goldwasser and Regev should be declared dead.
The chief military rabbi began deliberations this week on whether Goldwasser and Regev can be declared killed in action. He will judge based on intelligence information and Jewish law, but his determination will likely be made only after the cabinet meeting. Although sources close to the talks with Hizbullah over a prisoner swap say the move means the deal is off, Olmert associates said the prime minister has repeatedly said he has not made a final decision. They said the decision to allow the chief military rabbi to assess the situation is meant only "to minimize the question marks to a minimum."
"We don't want Hizbullah to torpedo the deal," an Olmert associate said. "That's not true. We just want the ministers to have as much information as possible."
Earlier Tuesday, Barak said "Israel" was obligated to recover the captured soldiers even if they are dead. Speaking during a tour of Gaza-periphery communities, Barak said the process of declaring the soldiers killed in action should not have any bearing on talks on a deal with Hizbullah.
But Ehud Goldwasser's mother, Miki, told The Jerusalem Post the question of whether the two men were alive or dead was so critical to the deal that she feared it had been harmed just by raising the question.
It appears that a majority of ministers would vote in favor of the swap if it is brought to the cabinet for a vote, although the composition of the cabinet could change drastically if Olmert dismisses the Labor ministers for voting to disperse the Knesset. If they remain in the cabinet, the Labor ministers are expected to vote in favor of the swap deal, as are the Pensioner ministers. Kadima ministers are split on the issue and Shas is not expected to vote against it.
A Lebanese daily editor warned Wednesday that if the swap deal with "Israel" is not consummated soon, Hizbullah will increase its asking price for the two "Israeli" soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, it has held captive since July 2006.
"What is clear now is the room to maneuver has been shut completely," Ibrahim al-Amin, the editor in chief of Al-Akhbar wrote in an article appearing in Wednesday's edition.
""Israel" stands before its only opportunity in the coming days, and if it loses it, then the resistance (Hizbullah) will not view itself as obligated to compromise. Rather it will have a chance to enhance its terms in a thousand ways."
On Tuesday, Goldwasser's wife, Karnit, announced that "Israeli" Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has promised that the deal with Hizbullah for release of the two "Israeli" occupation soldiers it captured will be brought to the cabinet on Sunday. The "Israeli" Prime Minister's Office refused to confirm her report. Karnit spoke to the media after she presented Olmert with a letter from her lawyers demanding that the security cabinet meet to approve the deal, which includes the release of Lebanese detainee Samir Kintar.
The lawyers also demanded that Olmert "immediately bring to the ministerial committee for discussion the agreements reached by Mr. [Ofer] Dekel on behalf of the state in the negotiations with Hizbullah through international intermediaries." The lawyers asked for a response within 48 hours and warned that if their demands were not met, they would take the matter to court.
In the letter, addressed both to Olmert and "Israeli" War Minister Ehud Barak, she also insisted that until the meeting was held, the "Israeli" army should suspend deliberations, begun Monday night, to determine if her husband and Regev should be declared dead.
The lawyers also wrote a letter to Sephardi Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger and "Israeli" army Chief Rabbi Avihai Ronsky calling on them not to conduct an investigation to determine whether Goldwasser and Regev should be declared dead.
The chief military rabbi began deliberations this week on whether Goldwasser and Regev can be declared killed in action. He will judge based on intelligence information and Jewish law, but his determination will likely be made only after the cabinet meeting. Although sources close to the talks with Hizbullah over a prisoner swap say the move means the deal is off, Olmert associates said the prime minister has repeatedly said he has not made a final decision. They said the decision to allow the chief military rabbi to assess the situation is meant only "to minimize the question marks to a minimum."
"We don't want Hizbullah to torpedo the deal," an Olmert associate said. "That's not true. We just want the ministers to have as much information as possible."
Earlier Tuesday, Barak said "Israel" was obligated to recover the captured soldiers even if they are dead. Speaking during a tour of Gaza-periphery communities, Barak said the process of declaring the soldiers killed in action should not have any bearing on talks on a deal with Hizbullah.
But Ehud Goldwasser's mother, Miki, told The Jerusalem Post the question of whether the two men were alive or dead was so critical to the deal that she feared it had been harmed just by raising the question.
It appears that a majority of ministers would vote in favor of the swap if it is brought to the cabinet for a vote, although the composition of the cabinet could change drastically if Olmert dismisses the Labor ministers for voting to disperse the Knesset. If they remain in the cabinet, the Labor ministers are expected to vote in favor of the swap deal, as are the Pensioner ministers. Kadima ministers are split on the issue and Shas is not expected to vote against it.
