"Israeli" cabinet approves the prisoner swap with Hizbullah
Source: nowlebanon.com, 15-07-2008
‘Israel's' cabinet gave the final go-ahead on Tuesday for a prisoner swap with Hizbullah, despite Prime Minister Ehud Olmert saying that Hizbullah did not fully keep its side of the bargain.
The decision set the ball rolling for the release on Wednesday of five Lebanese prisoners, including the perpetrator of a brutal 1979 triple murder, in exchange for two soldiers captured by Hizbullah in a deadly 2006 raid that sparked a vicious 34-day war.
"The government has ratified the deal," Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Eli Yishai told reporters after the cabinet meeting.
The families of the two ‘Israeli' soldiers have never been told the fate of the young men, although both are widely believed to be dead.
The cabinet first approved the swap deal in June, but was asked to back it a second time after ‘Israel' received a report from Hizbullah on missing Airman Ron Arad.
Arad's fate has also been unknown since his plane was shot down over Lebanon in 1986 during the Lebanese civil war, and although the report said he was probably dead, ‘Israel' has rejected its findings.
The Arad report was one of the conditions for the prisoner swap to go ahead, but Olmert said on Monday it was "completely inadequate."
However, Public Security Minister Avi Dichter had said before the cabinet meeting that the deal would be approved.
"Anyone familiar with the facts knew very well that the Hizbullah report would not provide a conclusive answer on the fate of Ron Arad," he told army radio.
Yishai said the swap came at "a much lower price than what we had to pay in the past, with all the pain involved in it. We did not want to put the Regev and Goldwasser families in the same situation as the Arad family."
Welfare Minister Isaac Herzog said "we should make every possible effort to get more information on Ron Arad and secure the release of Gilad Shalit," who was captured in a 2006 raid by several Gaza militant groups, including the Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas that now rules the territory, and he is still being held.
The prisoner swap, the eighth such deal between ‘Israel' and Hizbullah since 1991, stirred controversy over the decision to release Samir Kantar, a Lebanese militant who killed three ‘Israelis' in 1979.
‘Israel' will also hand over the remains of 200 Lebanese and Palestinians.
"The issue of Ron Arad is an open wound that will not be solved through the release of Samir Kantar," Dichter said.
"We will have to continue working in order to bring an answer to his family, the nation and the army," he added.
Before the swap can proceed, ‘Israel's' Supreme Court was also to hear three petitions against it. The exchange also still requires a pardon from President Shimon Peres for the five Lebanese prisoners.
Peres said it was not a happy day for having to free such murderers, "but we have a moral responsibility to bring our soldiers home."
"Every soldier and every family should know that we will make every possible effort to bring back our soldiers," he added.
Peres was signing the pardon on condition that Hizbullah fulfill all of its commitments under the deal.
The families of the two captured soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, have been pushing strongly for the swap. Goldwasser's father, Shlomo, told AFP that if his son comes home in a coffin, Hizbullah must pay the price.
‘Israel's' cabinet gave the final go-ahead on Tuesday for a prisoner swap with Hizbullah, despite Prime Minister Ehud Olmert saying that Hizbullah did not fully keep its side of the bargain.
The decision set the ball rolling for the release on Wednesday of five Lebanese prisoners, including the perpetrator of a brutal 1979 triple murder, in exchange for two soldiers captured by Hizbullah in a deadly 2006 raid that sparked a vicious 34-day war.
"The government has ratified the deal," Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Eli Yishai told reporters after the cabinet meeting.
The families of the two ‘Israeli' soldiers have never been told the fate of the young men, although both are widely believed to be dead.
The cabinet first approved the swap deal in June, but was asked to back it a second time after ‘Israel' received a report from Hizbullah on missing Airman Ron Arad.
Arad's fate has also been unknown since his plane was shot down over Lebanon in 1986 during the Lebanese civil war, and although the report said he was probably dead, ‘Israel' has rejected its findings.
The Arad report was one of the conditions for the prisoner swap to go ahead, but Olmert said on Monday it was "completely inadequate."
However, Public Security Minister Avi Dichter had said before the cabinet meeting that the deal would be approved.
"Anyone familiar with the facts knew very well that the Hizbullah report would not provide a conclusive answer on the fate of Ron Arad," he told army radio.
Yishai said the swap came at "a much lower price than what we had to pay in the past, with all the pain involved in it. We did not want to put the Regev and Goldwasser families in the same situation as the Arad family."
Welfare Minister Isaac Herzog said "we should make every possible effort to get more information on Ron Arad and secure the release of Gilad Shalit," who was captured in a 2006 raid by several Gaza militant groups, including the Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas that now rules the territory, and he is still being held.
The prisoner swap, the eighth such deal between ‘Israel' and Hizbullah since 1991, stirred controversy over the decision to release Samir Kantar, a Lebanese militant who killed three ‘Israelis' in 1979.
‘Israel' will also hand over the remains of 200 Lebanese and Palestinians.
"The issue of Ron Arad is an open wound that will not be solved through the release of Samir Kantar," Dichter said.
"We will have to continue working in order to bring an answer to his family, the nation and the army," he added.
Before the swap can proceed, ‘Israel's' Supreme Court was also to hear three petitions against it. The exchange also still requires a pardon from President Shimon Peres for the five Lebanese prisoners.
Peres said it was not a happy day for having to free such murderers, "but we have a moral responsibility to bring our soldiers home."
"Every soldier and every family should know that we will make every possible effort to bring back our soldiers," he added.
Peres was signing the pardon on condition that Hizbullah fulfill all of its commitments under the deal.
The families of the two captured soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, have been pushing strongly for the swap. Goldwasser's father, Shlomo, told AFP that if his son comes home in a coffin, Hizbullah must pay the price.
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