Hamas Resolution, Egypt Tensions Stall Shalit Deal
Source: Al-Manar TV, 02-09-2008
'Israeli' and Palestinian sources seem to agree on one thing: The negotiations for the release of Gilad Shalit are stuck.
‘Israeli' security sources involved in the negotiations over the captured Israeli occupation soldier said no significant progress was achieved in recent weeks' talks.
The ministerial meeting Sunday to reevaluate the criteria for releasing Palestinian detainees was meant to send Hamas a message that ‘Israel' is willing to show a certain degree of flexibility, the sources said. However, Hamas has taken an even tougher stance, the sources said.
Palestinian sources also say that negotiations are going nowhere. Hamas is not willing to resume contacts and negotiate through the Egyptian interlocutors.
Hamas reportedly has refused an Egyptian demand that intense negotiations be held in Cairo, with a semi-permanent presence of ‘Israeli' and Hamas negotiators. Egyptian interlocutors would shuttle between the two negotiating teams, like Turkish diplomats are doing in the case of the indirect talks between Syria and ‘Israel' in Istanbul.
Palestinian sources said Hamas is currently demanding ‘Israel' accept a list of 450 detainees, which it delivered through the Egyptian mediators more than a year ago. Hamas has said it is not willing compromise on the names on that list.
Relations between Egypt and Hamas have been very tense in recent weeks, with Hamas saying that Cairo is doing little to ease ‘Israel's' economic pressure on the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, after it refused to open the Rafah crossing till a deal on Shalit reached, Egypt announced that it would open the Rafah crossing into Sinai for 48 hours, in order to ease civilians' plight at the start of the month of Ramadan.
So far, Egypt is refusing to talk with Hamas about leaving the Rafah crossing permanently, as it had promised to do as part of the agreement for a tahadiyeh (calm) in the Gaza Strip between ‘Israel' and Hamas.
Egypt is concerned by recent Hamas declarations that it would like to include an additional interlocutor in the indirect talks with ‘Israel', possibly Germany. Some reports have Hamas demanding European intermediaries replace the Egyptians entirely.
The tension between Cairo and Hamas has resulted in repeated delays in the dispatch of a delegation of negotiators from the Gaza Strip to Egypt for talks on Shalit.
In Tel Aviv, Hamas' tough stance is being interpreted as a signal to Cairo that the Palestinians opposed Egypt's promise to step up the talks on Shalit as soon as the tahadiyeh went into effect.
For its part, Egypt is trying to ensure that the cease-fire between ‘Israel' and Hamas does not collapse, and is inviting smaller Palestinian factions to Cairo for talks. Egypt is particularly sensitive to the criticism voiced by Palestinian resistance factions, primarily Islamic Jihad, who said that the Palestinians did not receive in return what they had been promised - essentially the lifting of the siege on the Gaza Strip.
Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin told the ‘Israeli' cabinet Sunday that intelligence knows of 20 different attacks being planned in the Strip. Islamic Jihad is the focus of the security concerns, and the resistance group has warned openly that it may carry out a major attack along the border fence between ‘Israel' and the Strip.
'Israeli' and Palestinian sources seem to agree on one thing: The negotiations for the release of Gilad Shalit are stuck.
‘Israeli' security sources involved in the negotiations over the captured Israeli occupation soldier said no significant progress was achieved in recent weeks' talks.
The ministerial meeting Sunday to reevaluate the criteria for releasing Palestinian detainees was meant to send Hamas a message that ‘Israel' is willing to show a certain degree of flexibility, the sources said. However, Hamas has taken an even tougher stance, the sources said.
Palestinian sources also say that negotiations are going nowhere. Hamas is not willing to resume contacts and negotiate through the Egyptian interlocutors.
Hamas reportedly has refused an Egyptian demand that intense negotiations be held in Cairo, with a semi-permanent presence of ‘Israeli' and Hamas negotiators. Egyptian interlocutors would shuttle between the two negotiating teams, like Turkish diplomats are doing in the case of the indirect talks between Syria and ‘Israel' in Istanbul.
Palestinian sources said Hamas is currently demanding ‘Israel' accept a list of 450 detainees, which it delivered through the Egyptian mediators more than a year ago. Hamas has said it is not willing compromise on the names on that list.
Relations between Egypt and Hamas have been very tense in recent weeks, with Hamas saying that Cairo is doing little to ease ‘Israel's' economic pressure on the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, after it refused to open the Rafah crossing till a deal on Shalit reached, Egypt announced that it would open the Rafah crossing into Sinai for 48 hours, in order to ease civilians' plight at the start of the month of Ramadan.
So far, Egypt is refusing to talk with Hamas about leaving the Rafah crossing permanently, as it had promised to do as part of the agreement for a tahadiyeh (calm) in the Gaza Strip between ‘Israel' and Hamas.
Egypt is concerned by recent Hamas declarations that it would like to include an additional interlocutor in the indirect talks with ‘Israel', possibly Germany. Some reports have Hamas demanding European intermediaries replace the Egyptians entirely.
The tension between Cairo and Hamas has resulted in repeated delays in the dispatch of a delegation of negotiators from the Gaza Strip to Egypt for talks on Shalit.
In Tel Aviv, Hamas' tough stance is being interpreted as a signal to Cairo that the Palestinians opposed Egypt's promise to step up the talks on Shalit as soon as the tahadiyeh went into effect.
For its part, Egypt is trying to ensure that the cease-fire between ‘Israel' and Hamas does not collapse, and is inviting smaller Palestinian factions to Cairo for talks. Egypt is particularly sensitive to the criticism voiced by Palestinian resistance factions, primarily Islamic Jihad, who said that the Palestinians did not receive in return what they had been promised - essentially the lifting of the siege on the Gaza Strip.
Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin told the ‘Israeli' cabinet Sunday that intelligence knows of 20 different attacks being planned in the Strip. Islamic Jihad is the focus of the security concerns, and the resistance group has warned openly that it may carry out a major attack along the border fence between ‘Israel' and the Strip.
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