Hamas Celebrating Deal

"Landep News"

Hamas Celebrating Deal

Sources close to Hamas revealed that Israel refused at the last moment to include on the list of the Palestinian terrorists who are about to be set free in exchange for IDF soldier Gilad Shalit top terrorists like Abdullah Barghouti, who is serving 67 consecutive life sentences for building the bomb that killed 66 people, or Ibrahim Hamed, who killed 82 Israelis.

Although both Israel and Hamas refuse to admit that the name of these two top prisoners were included on the list of the 1,027 Palestinians who are to be released, the Hamas sources said on Wednesday night that in the early stages of negotiation Israel had agreed to release top prisoners like Marwan Barghouti, who is serving five life sentences for his role in killing Israelis during the Al-Aqsa Intifada, but backed out at the last moment because they did not want to offer Hamas a victory.

Israel also refused to free Ahmed Saadat, who led the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and was responsible for the assassination of an Israeli minister. The refusal was interpreted as a defeat by the Palestinian Authority and even by politicians in Gaza.

Hamas considers the release of the prisoners a success, and has celebrated it as so, because, in their opinion, the Israelis had been completely resilient to the idea of releasing the Israeli Arabs and Palestinians at first, but agreed to it in the end.

More than that, Hamas considers the victory very important, considering its position on the Middle East changing political landscape. The Damascus-backed movement has lost a lot of support during the Arab Spring in Syria, where it found itself in a very difficult spot, as by its orientation it should have supported the masses fighting the regime there, but its dependence on the political leaders there forced it into keeping a low profile on this matter.

Since they could not express their disapproval of the actions of Bashar al-Assad, Hamas attempted to get closer to the Egyptian authorities, which led to the signing of the agreement between Hamas and Fatah, considered impossible a few years ago.

With Fatah Hamas agreed to divide the local authority stations, so that both be represented in all the places where Palestinians live. The agreement was not easily implemented, and the problems appeared and led to the regular disagreements between the two organizations.

Hamas also came under a lot of pressure after it took control over Gaza as a result of the elections in 2007, when it won elections. Ever since, Israel imposed a blockade on Gaza and even launched a land invasion in 2008, called by Israelis Operation Cast Lead, and by the Gazans the Gaza Massacre.

In September 2011, President Mahmoud Abbas presented the United Nations Security Council with the bid for Palestinian statehood, which was construed as a very important victory for him and the Fatah, though the decision at the UN has not been made yet, and chances are that it would remain no more than a symbolic gesture.

Hamas has never been fond of the diplomatic ways of winning support for the Palestinians, considering even Abbas’s bid at the UN a waste of time. Now it is time for them to show the people of Gaza that their actions are oriented to meet their needs, and that their negotiations with the Israelis from a position of strength led to the liberation of more than a thousand Palestinians and Arab Israelis.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Justice Ministry said that the public had 48 hours to submit reservations and objections to the release of 450 prisoners. The list of the names that are about to be released will be published by Sunday morning.

The Justice Ministry convened on Wednesday, soon after the announcement of the deal was made, to agree on the details of the deal. 279 people out of the 450 that will be released are serving life times, and for that reason their release must be accompanied by a pardon. Amnesties must be declared on the others. All these will arrive to the president of the country, Shimon Peres, who will have to sign them.

The IDF Central Command will have to release the prisoners held in military facilities in West Bank, while the Attorney General will have to release those who have not been to trial yet.

Thank's for link:

Tweet