Palestinians drive hard bargain for Shalit release

WHAT'S HAPPENED?

After more than five years in captivity, the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit is to return home, Israeli PM Benyamin Netanyahu has announced. More than 1,000 of the 7,000 Palestinian prisoners currently held in Israel will be released in exchange, which Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal has described as a "national achievement".

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?               

We know what Gilad Shalit's freedom means to the Israelis, but what, and who, have the Palestinians got for their efforts?

In short, they have driven a hard bargain. The figure of 1,000 is what Hamas have consistently demanded since the last serious talks over Shalit in 2009. Israel rejected the request then, and their accepting it now has allowed the Gaza government to present the deal as a triumph.
 
Another long-standing Hamas demand has been for the release of all female prisoners, and 27 have been added to the list of 1,000 men.

It is impossible to be certain whether that figure accounts for every Palestinian woman held by Israel but again it is a coup for Hamas. Even women considered to be terrorists are on the list, including the notorious Amna Muna who was imprisoned for arranging the murder of a 16-year old boy.
 
It is also significant that of the initial 450 male prisoners to be released, 280 have been serving at least one life sentence. In past exchange deals, Israel has released prisoners with just weeks of their sentences remaining, to the chagrin of Palestinian negotiators.
 
Sources in Palestine told The First Post today that Hamas are claiming the release of 50-75 'high profile' prisoners, including a dozen 'sticking point' names that scuppered the deal in 2009. However, they were unable to secure the release of popular resistance icons Marwan Barghouthi and Ahmed Saadat.

Perhaps surprisingly, the list cuts across the factional differences which have been tearing Palestine apart. Palestinian Authority spokesman Ghassan Khatib confirmed to The First Post that Fatah members are on the list, despite the party’s bloody conflict with Hamas.

WHAT NEXT?

The deal will strengthen Hamas’s claim that they are the only party that Israel listens to, and they will boast about an achievement more tangible than anything the Palestinian Authority ever managed through negotiations.

Outsiders will look for more conciliatory gestures from the Gaza government but they are likely to be disappointed. There are considerable fears that Hamas see this as a victory over Israel rather than the beginning of a partnership. ·