An Israeli government official has indicated that the government in Jerusalem may be open to a prisoner exchange for the freedom of a teenaged soldier being held by Palestinian militants.
Avi Dichter, the Israeli minister of public security, hinted that if 19-year-old Corporal Gilad Shalit is released and rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip into Israel cease, Israel may release Palestinian prisoners as a good will gesture.
'The release of the soldier, Gilad Shalit, will be a must,' Dichter said Friday while speaking to a group of Israeli business leaders.
Dichter added that if rocket attacks stopped, 'Israel will need to, after some time, release prisoners as a return gesture. Israel knows how to do this. Israel has done this more than once in the past.'
The militant group Hamas has also reportedly reduced its demands for the release of Shalit. Originally, Hamas had demanded that hundreds of female prisoners and teenaged prisoners being held in Israeli jails for committing acts of terrorism be released. Now, Hamas is requesting the release of several dozen female inmates and some male inmates who have been in custody for more than 20 years.
Egyptian mediators have proposed a two-stage process. First, Hamas would free Shalit and stop rocket fire, and then Israel would eventually free an unspecified number of prisoners as a goodwill gesture.
Sources close to the negotiations say an agreement has been reached in principle between the parties but Israel wants to avoid the appearance of a direct deal with terrorists. Hamas is still insisting on announcing the deals simultaneously. This appears to be a major remaining hurdle in negotiations.
