Talks over a prisoners' exchange deal stall due to definition of 'long-term prisoners'

A woman holds photos of imprisoned relatives(MaanImages)

December 5, 2006

Gaza - Hebron - Ma'an - Talks regarding a prisoners' exchange deal have stalled, the Palestinian minister of prisoners' affairs, Wasfi Qabaha, has confirmed.

Qabaha said that the reason for the deadlock is the inability to reach an agreement over the criteria for assigning the prisoners for release, and over the definition of long-term prisoners. The minister described the Israelis as "stubborn" in regard to the long-term prisoners, who the Palestinians are calling to be all released.

According to the Palestinian criteria, 'long-term prisoners' means prisoners who have spent more than 16 years in Israeli jail. These number 367 Palestinian prisoners. The minister said that the Palestinians are worried that the Israeli authorities are going to consider all prisoners who have spent five years or more behind bars as long-term prisoners, greatly increasing the numbers of prisoners to choose from to release. That also means leaving hundreds of other prisoners behind bars.

The minister said that Palestinians have received positive and encouraging signs from the Egyptians regarding a prisoners' exchange deal. He said that the Israelis have agreed to release prisoners at the same time as the captured Israeli soldier, Cpl Gilad Shalit, is released.

He said that this agreement will include the initial release of 400 Palestinian prisoners, including a large number of female prisoners and children. At that moment, the Egyptians will receive the captured Israeli soldier, Shalit, from Gaza. In addition, the Israelis will pledge to release another batch of prisoners once Shalit has been reunited with his family. This second batch will include imprisoned Palestinian leaders such as Marwan Barghouthi of Fatah and Ahmad Sa'adat of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). In the third and final stage, the long-term prisoners will be released, according to the agreed criteria.