Middle East Post

Israeli airstrikes resulted in killing at least four Palestinians in Gaza in the last 24 hours. One of those who were killed was a 15 years old boy and many were trapped under the ruins of the buildings which were destroyed. The Palestinian movements reacted by firing more than nine missiles into the Israeli areas.

The situation began to develop after the first Israeli attempt to assassinate a leader of one of the Palestinian movements claiming that he was on his way to launch missiles into Israel. The Palestinians reacted by firing back then Israel attacked Gaza strip again leaving another three Palestinians killed and several wounded. Read more…

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Netanyahu, left, and Mubarak discussed issues including a prisoner exchange deal [EPA]
Israeli and Egyptian leaders have met in Cairo to discuss US-backed efforts to relaunch peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

Neither Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, nor Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s president, spoke to journalists after the meeting on Tuesday, though the Israeli PM’s office said “talks were in-depth and friendly”. Read more…

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By Ziad Khalil Abu Zayyad
Middle East Post
Recently the prisoner’s exchange which is being negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians became an interest for both sides. The Israeli rightist government found itself in a place where it cannot decide whether to make the deal or not. Prime Minister Netanyahu Is known for his statements abut the importance of not negotiating with what Israel considers “terrorist” groups. At the same time Prime Minister Netanyahu finds himself under the pressure of the Israeli public opinion who demands for the release of the imprisoned Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Read more…

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By Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondent Fatah strongman Marwan Barghouti has said that Hamas and Israel are on the verge of reaching a deal for the release of abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, in an interview with the pan-Arab daily Al-Quds al-Arabi published on Wednesday. As part of a prisoner exchange for Shalit, the Islamist militant group is reportedly demanding that Israel release Barghouti, who is serving five consecutive life sentences in an Israeli prison for his role in terror attacks. Read more…

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By Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondents and Haaretz Service Fatah strongman, expected to win Palestinian election if freed in Shalit deal, declares intention to run. Fatah strongman Marwan Barghouti said in an interview on Wednesday that he intends to run in the next Palestinian presidential election, and remarked that the capture of Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit by Gaza militants achieved what no negotiations could ever achieve. Shalit was kidnapped in a cross border raid in 2006, and has been held prisoner by Hamas for over three years. Read more…

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By Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondents

Fatah officials say strongman’s release could expedite Abbas’ resignation, paving way for Barghouti to replace him.

The prisoner swap deal currently being hammered out between Israel and Hamas, which would see the release of captive Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, could have far-reaching strategic implications on internal Palestinian balance of power, and attempts to strike a peace deal with Israel. Read more…

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By Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondent and Haaretz Service
The London-based Arabic language daily Al Hayat reported Wednesday that the Hamas leadership is split over a recent Israeli proposal that could result in a prisoner swap aimed at securing the release of captive Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, channel 10 reported.
Shalit was captured by Gaza militants in a cross border raid in 2006. Hamas, the rulers of the Gaza Strip, have demanded the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel in exchange for the Shalit’s freedom. Read more…

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Israel released 20 Palestinian women prisoners in return for a video of Shalit last month [AFP]
Shimon Peres, Israel’s president, has said there has been “progress” in efforts to free Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier captured by Hamas three years ago.
The disclosure by Peres was made after he met Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s president, in Cairo on Monday. Read more…

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Yesterday the Hezballah five prisoners were released in exchange for the bodies of two Israeli soldiers that were kidnapped almost two years ago before the last Israeli Lebanese war. The deal also included the returning of about two hundred bodies of Palestinians, Lebanese, and other Arabs that died in the Israeli Arab conflict. Read more…

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In the last two days a lot of discussions were held about the Israeli kidnapped soldiers and the Palestinian and Lebanese prisoners that were asked to be released by Hamas and Hezbollah in order to return the Israeli soldiers.

The Israeli government refused to release any Palestinian prisoners in the Hezbollah deal but said that it may release some Palestinian prisoners as an encouragement to the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. Read more…

Ziad Khalil Abu Zayyad Palestinian, Israeli Conflict abu, east, israel, middle, palestine, post, prisoners, zayyad, ziad

It was very sad for me to hear about the political prisoner who was killed yesterday in the Negev prison after he have been tortured by the “Yatsama” unit of the Israeli Occupation Forces, who announced they used special weapons to torture the Palestinian prisoners. The prisoner should have returned to his child and wife in two months. But the gathering will not happen for another Palestinian family; the mother will not dance for her son when he is released as a dead body. Instead, she will wear black and remember all the times she had together with her stolen son. Another child will be raised without his father and will live to hear to the story of why his father was arrested and why he was killed. This child also will keep wondering how it would have been to live with his father and why his father is not with him. For me, imagining living without my father is insane. I step into a lot of dark areas when I try to imagine this. I don’t know how I would react if I lose my father in this way; to be not allowed to see him for a period of time because he is in prison. And then to imagine that he would never return home from this prison because he was killed. Nothing will convince me to accept this reality. I feel so sorry for the little kid, and I wish I can do anything to change this cruel reality. Some Palestinians believe that to be imprisoned by the Israeli Occupation as a youth is much better than being killed. In Palestine, we say “he who dies will never come back, but he who will be jailed will come out one day,” but it seems now there is no difference between death and imprisonment. The fate is very similar. Also, the prisoners get tortured for long periods of time, in many different ways. They don’t live in healthy conditions, they don’t eat well, and therefore, many Palestinian prisoners catch diseases that will last with them for a long time; they suffer from diseases as unwanted souvenirs from the prison. Personally, I can’t put myself in their shoes and I can’t talk about their experience with which I sympathize very much, but I am a Palestinian — we all live as similar people in different, bigger contexts. The same massive violence is acted against us, including restriction of movement. We can move within the city, but not within the whole country. They impose on us when to move and when not, they also control the food we eat, the water we get. I think in the resolutions of the United Nation and the Geneva Conventions concerning the rights of prisoners and detainees it is illegal to kill or injure those being held inside the prison and detention center. I think we all need to read these international laws again to remind us of the truth, not to twist them or believe those who twist them for their projects of brain-washing… so let’s search and think.

AJ

The Youth Group

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