Olmert again rules out prisoner swap with soldier's captors
By Associated Press July 9, 2006
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday ruled out a prisoner swap with the Islamic militant Hamas, but noted that he's expressed willingness in the past to release Palestinian prisoners in a deal with moderate Palestinian leaders.
Olmert's comments raised the possibility of an indirect deal to win the release of a captive Israeli soldier.
Olmert told his Cabinet that he had been considering a prisoner release long before Cpl. Gilad Shalit was captured by Hamas-allied militants on June 25.
But he said such a deal could only take place with moderate Palestinians.
"It's not a secret before the kidnapping that we would free prisoners. But we intended to release them to moderate elements and not to terrorist elements," Olmert said, according to meeting participants.
While Olmert has ruled out a deal with the Hamas-linked captors of Shalit, his comments indicated that he might be willing to work with the moderate Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas.
"The release of prisoners means destroying the moderates in the Palestinian Authority, and would signal to the world that Israel can only talk to extremists."
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