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| By: Israel Insider staff |
| Published: July 18, 2007 |
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Exiled Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal accused Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Tuesday of being responsible for the lack of progress in negotiations to free kidnapped IDF soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit.
No progress has been made "because Olmert is stubborn and does not want to release our prisoners," said Mashaal in an interview with Al-Jazeera satellite Tuesday.
"Gilad Shalit is a war prisoner. We have accepted Egyptian brothers to be a party to negotiate with the Israelis and seek to find a solution to the matter," he said.
Egypt has worked as a mediator between Hamas and Israel for the release of Shalit, who was kidnapped into Gaza by radical Islamic militants linked to Hamas on June 25, 2006. Hamas has demanded that hundreds of Palestinian prisoners be released in exchange for Shalit.
It is estimated that Israel currently has approximately 10,000 Palestinian prisoners.
The cabinet recently approved a list of 256 Fatah prisoners, slated for release on Friday. The move is an effort by Olmert to bolster Abbas' government. The list was criticized by some for not including any Palestinians from other factions. |
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