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Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange

January 06, 2023

The Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange (Hebrew: עסקת שליט; Arabic: صفقة شاليط), also known as "Wafa al-Ahrar" ("Faithful to the free"),[1] followed a 2011 agreement between Israel and Hamas to release Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for 1,027 prisoners — almost all Palestinians and Arab-Israelis, although there were also a Ukrainian,[2] a Jordanian[3] and a Syrian.[4] Two hundred and eighty of these had been sentenced to life in prison for planning and perpetrating various attacks against Israeli targets.[5][6]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcoming Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit at Tel Nof after his release from Hamas captivity

Hamas military leader Ahmed Jabari was quoted in the Saudi Arabian newspaper Al-Hayat as confirming that the prisoners released under the deal were collectively responsible for the killing of 569 Israelis.[7][8] The agreement came five years and four months after Palestinian militants captured Shalit in southern Israel along the Gaza Strip border.

The deal, brokered by Mossad official David Meidan through a secret back channel run by Gershon Baskin and Hamas Deputy Foreign Minister Dr. Ghazi Hamad authorized by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on one side and Ahmed Jabari, head of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades on the other side.[9] The list of prisoners to be released (based on previous work conducted by German and Egyptian mediators and coordinated by Bundesnachrichtendienst agent Gerhard Conrad),[10] was signed in Egypt on 11 October 2011. Its first phase was executed on 18 October 2011, with Israel releasing 477 Palestinian prisoners and Hamas transferring Shalit to Cairo.[11] In the second phase, which took place during December 2011, another 550 prisoners were released.[12]

The agreement is, to date, the largest prisoner exchange agreement Israel has ever made and the highest price Israel has ever paid for a single soldier.[13][14] Gilad Shalit was also the first captured Israeli soldier to be released alive in 26 years.[15]

Background

2006 Hamas cross-border raid

Main article: 2006 Hamas cross-border raid

On Sunday morning, 25 June 2006, at about 5:30 am (GMT+2) an armed squad of Palestinian special units from the Gaza Strip crossed the border into Israel via a 300-metre-long (980-foot) tunnel they dug near the Kerem Shalom border crossing.[16] After crossing the border via the tunnel, the militants, backed by mortar and anti-tank fire from within the Gaza Strip, split into three groups to attack a watch tower, an empty armored personnel carrier, and a Merkava Mark III tank. The militants managed to blow open the tank's rear doors with a rocket-propelled grenade fired from point-blank range and afterwards tossed hand grenades inside the tank. Two crew members were killed by the grenades, another team member was seriously wounded, while the fourth team member, Corporal Gilad Shalit, was taken from the tank at gunpoint.[17] Immediately afterward, the Palestinian militant squad made their way back into the Gaza Strip with Shalit through the tunnel after they blew an opening in the security fence; thus Shalit became the first Israeli soldier captured by Palestinians since the kidnapping and murder of Nachshon Wachsman in 1994.[18]

Meanwhile, large Israeli military forces arrived at the site and began helping the wounded. When they reached the tank the military forces discovered the two bodies. When it became clear that there is only one wounded person in the tank and that the fourth crew member was missing, an abduction alert was declared and various Israeli troops entered Gaza.

Shalit's captors held him in a secret location in the Gaza Strip for a total of 1,934 days leading up to the prisoner swap deal.[19] While in captivity, Hamas refused to allow the International Red Cross access to Shalit, and the only indications that he was still alive were an audio tape, a video recording, and three letters.[20][21]

Rescue attempt

Main article: 2006 Israel-Gaza conflict

Israeli forces entered Khan Yunis on 28 June 2006 to search for Shalit. According to an Israeli embassy spokesman, "Israel did everything it could in exhausting all diplomatic options and gave Mahmoud Abbas the opportunity to return the abducted Israeli... This operation can be terminated immediately, conditioned on the release of Gilad Shalit."[22] On the same day, four Israeli Air Force aircraft flew over Syrian President Bashar Assad's palace in Latakia, as an IDF spokesperson said that Israel views the Syrian leadership as a sponsor of Hamas.[23] The operation did not succeed in finding Shalit.

Negotiations for release

Unofficial talks between Israel and Hamas began on 1 July 2006, six days after the abduction of Shalit by Gershon Baskin, an Israeli peace activist, co-director of the Israeli-Palestinian think tank IPCRI—the Israel Palestine Center for Research and Information. On that day, Baskin arranged a telephone conversation between Hamas Government spokesman Ghazi Hamad and Noam Shalit, the father of the soldier. Baskin made contact with Prime Minister Olmert and informed him of this contact with Hamas.

On 9 September 2006, Baskin arranged for a hand written letter from Shalit to be delivered to the Representative Office of Egypt in Gaza, the first sign of life from Shalit and the proof of an actual channel of communication had been established. But later that day, Olmert's representative, Ofer Deckel told Baskin that he had to step down from his efforts because the Egyptian intelligence was taking over. Deckel had been appointed by Olmert 50 days after Shalit's abduction. In the end of December 2006 the Egyptians presented the agreed formula for a prisoner exchange in which Israel would release 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Shalit in two phases. This was the same agreement reached five years later.

After Olmert resigned from office on corruption charges and following elections in Israel which brought Netanyahu to power, Deckel was replaced by former Mossad agent Hagai Haddas who worked primarily though the good offices of a German Intelligence Officer, Gerhard Conrad. Hadas resigned in failure in April 2011 and was replaced by Mossad Officer David Meidan. Meidan took over on 18 April 2011, he was contacted by Gershon Baskin the very same day. The secret back channel run by Baskin and Hamas Deputy Foreign Minister Ghazi Hamad was authorized by Netanyahu in May 2011.

Netanyahu responded to a pilgrimage march, called by Shalit's father for his release, by saying he was willing to release 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Shalit, but that top Hamas leaders would not be among those released.[24] Shalit's father had previously blamed the US for blocking talks on his son's release.[25]

The Baskin–Hamad secret back channel produced a document of principles for the release on 14 July 2011 which was authorized by Prime Minister Netanyahu and Ahmad Jabri. In August 2011, Egyptian-moderated negotiations on determining the list of names of the prisoners to be released began with Hamas represented by Ahmed Jabari and three other Hamas officials and Israel represented by David Meidan and two other Israeli officials. Haaretz reported that Israel proposed a prisoner swap, and threatened that if Hamas rejected the proposal, no swap would occur. Hamas responded by warning that an end to negotiations would lead to Shalit's "disappearance". Negotiations were hung up over disagreements between the two parties regarding Israel's unwillingness to release all of the so-called "senior prisoners" into the West Bank—a demand Hamas rejects—and regarding the particulars of releasing prisoners who were leaders of Hamas and other organizations.[26]

The approval of the agreement

On 11 October 2011, the pan-Arab Al Arabiya network reported that Israel and Hamas had reached an agreement on Gilad Shalit. Netanyahu convened a special Cabinet meeting to approve the Shalit deal. The deal was brokered by German and Egyptian mediators and signed in Cairo.[27] It stipulated the release of Gilad Shalit in exchange for 1,027 Israeli-held security prisoners, 280 of these served life sentences for planning and perpetrating various terror attacks against Israeli targets.[5][6] The military Hamas leader Ahmed Jabari was quoted in the Saudi Arabian newspaper Al-Hayat as confirming that the prisoners released as part of the deal were collectively responsible for 569 deaths of Israeli civilians.[7][8] Gerald Steinberg, political science professor at Bar-Ilan University and president of NGO Monitor, said that the goal of Israel allowing the Egyptians to take an active part was "to help stabilize [Cairo], so they play a constructive role in the region. It's to show to other countries" as well, that Egypt is a "counterweight" to Turkey, with Israel showing preference to Egypt.[28]

Shortly after Benjamin Netanyahu announced that an agreement had been reached, the Israeli Cabinet convened in an emergency session to vote on the deal. Twenty-six ministers voted in favor of the deal while three voted against it—Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Minister of Strategic Affairs Moshe Ya'alon, and Minister of National Infrastructure Uzi Landau.[29] Ya'alon (Likud) argued that the prisoners would "go back to terrorism" and that they would destabilize the security situation in the West Bank.[30] Landau (Yisrael Beiteinu) warned that the deal would be "a huge victory for terror" and that it would encourage more abductions of Israelis.[31]

On 15 October the Israeli Justice Ministry published the list of the 477 prisoners that Israel intends to release as part of the first phase of the agreement.

Controversy among the Israeli public

 
Shalit's mother and brother at IPO solidarity concert

During the time period in which Shalit was in captivity the Shalit issue became a highly debated and controversial matter within the Israeli public. Following the calls from terror victims widows in 2009 to release the killers of their loved ones in exchange for Shalit, Ze'ev Rapp, the father of the late Helena Rapp, publicly expressed his strong objection:[32]

"Those who support this move don't understand the grief they're causing us. The memory of our loved ones cries out from beneath the earth for revenge. Blood is pouring from our heart and soul; stop bringing up these "bleeding hearts" ideas. [...] Stop drinking our blood!"[33]

The Israeli press also extensively debated this issue. Israeli analyst Dan Schueftan has called the possible swap deal "the greatest significant victory for terrorism that Israel has made possible since its establishment".[34] Daniel Bar-Tal, a professor of political psychology at Tel Aviv University, said

"Here we see the basic dilemmas between the individual and the collective, and we see victim pitted against victim. Gilad Shalit is a victim who was violently kidnapped, in a way that Israelis do not consider to be a normative means of struggle. Therefore, one side says, he should be returned at any price. But the families of those killed in terrorist attacks and the people who were wounded in those attacks are victims, too, and they say that no price should be paid to the murderers. And it is truly a dilemma, because no side is right, and no side is wrong."[35]

Others believe that the disagreement among Israelis represents rifts and changes within Israeli society. Attorney Dalia Gavriely-Nur, a lecturer at Bar-Ilan University, says that the camp opposing the prisoners deal is holding onto a view of society, in which the individual was expected to sacrifice himself for the good of society; the camp supporting the prisoner release is expressing a shift to a more privatized society.[35]

The debate over this issue was also reflected amongst others in the Israeli cabinet meeting in which the agreement was approved, after being supported by 26 ministers and opposed by three ministers—Avigdor Lieberman, Moshe Ya'alon, and Uzi Landau who said "... this deal is a triumph for terror and [is] detrimental to Israel's security and deterrence".[36]

Implementation of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange

Further information: List of prisoners released by Israel in the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange
 
Gilad Shalit at IDF base Amitai near Kerem Shalom, on the phone with his parents, 18 October 2011
 
Shalit, soon after arriving Kerem Shalom, Israel, 18 October 2011
 
Shalit meets his father for the first time in five years, 18 October 2011

The agreement is implemented in two stages:

  • In the first stage, Gilad Shalit was transferred from the Gaza Strip to Egypt and from there to Israel; concurrently, Israel released 477 prisoners.[37]
  • In the second stage, which took place two months later, another 550 prisoners were released.[12]

First phase

Of the first 450, 131 were released to Gaza, while 110 returned to their homes in the West Bank. Six Israeli Palestinians were also released. The remaining 203 prisoners were deported, with 40 barred from Israel and the Palestinian territories.[38]

On 18 October, the first group of Palestinian prisoners were transported to Egypt. From there, they will go to the West Bank and Gaza Strip. On the same day, Shalit was taken from Gaza to Egypt and from there to Israel. Shalit was given a medical evaluation and was said to be in good health, although pale and thin. Shalit changed into a military uniform and traveled by helicopter to the Tel Nof Airbase, where he met with his family and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.[39][40] At Shalit's release Hamas had several militants with suicide belts in case the Israelis attempted to renege on the deal at the last minute.[41]

On the day of the release of Gilad Shalit, immediately after he was transferred to the Red Cross, Israel released 27 prisoners (most of whom would be allowed to return to East Jerusalem and the West Bank and two of them would be deported abroad). Afterwards the rest of the prisoners were transferred in buses to the West Bank. Those that were expelled to Gaza or abroad, were transferred first to Cairo.[citation needed]

Egyptian state television interview

Immediately following Hamas's release of Shalit, he was interviewed on the Egyptian state-owned television channel Nile TV by anchorwoman Shahira Amin. Generating a storm of criticism in Israel, the interview was considered insensitive and exploitative. An Israeli official stated, "We are all shocked that a so-called interview was forced on (Shalit) before he could even talk to his family or set foot on Israeli soil." Egyptian officials, however, claimed that the interview went according to agreements between Israel, Egypt and Hamas, and that Israel knew about it in advance.[42]

During the interview, Shalit appeared uncomfortable and struggled to speak at points while breathing heavily.[42] It later emerged that Hamas militants were still in the room with Shalit as the interview was set up.[43] Israeli media accused Egypt of using the interview to advance Egyptian and pro-Palestinian positions, with the interviewer attempting to prompt Shalit to praise Egypt for its role in arranging the exchange as well as call for the release of all Palestinian prisoners.[42] Israeli journalist Oren Kessler said the interview was not only exploitative but "amateurish, propagandistic, opportunistic and downright cruel."[44]

Prominent prisoners released as part of the deal

Among the 1,027 prisoners released are about 280 prisoners serving life sentences for planning and perpetrating terror attacks[5] including:

  • Husam Badran, now Hamas spokesman in Qatar.
  • Walid Abd al-Aziz Abd al-Hadi Anajas (36 life sentences) – took part in the execution of the Café Moment bombing (2002), the Hebrew University bombing (2002) and the Rishon LeZion bombing (2002).[45]
  • Nasir Sami Abd al-Razzaq Ali al-Nasser Yataima (29 life sentences) – convicted of planning the Passover massacre (2002) in which 30 civilians were killed and 140 were wounded.[45]
  • Maedh Waal Taleb Abu Sharakh (19 life sentences), Majdi Muhammad Ahmed Amr (19 life sentences) and Fadi Muhammad Ibrahim al-Jaaba[45] (18 life sentences) – responsible for the attack on bus No. 37 in Haifa in 2002.
  • Tamimi Aref Ahmad Ahlam (16 life sentences) – Assisted in the execution of the Sbarro restaurant suicide bombing (2001).[45][46]
  • Abd al-Hadi Rafa Ghanim (16 life sentences) – the surviving perpetrator of the Tel Aviv–Jerusalem bus 405 suicide attack in which Ghneim seized the steering wheel of a crowded Egged commuter bus line No. 405 and managed to pull the bus into a ravine in the area of Qiryat Ye'arim. 16 civilians were killed in the attack.[47]
  • Muhammad Waal Muhammad Douglas (15 life sentences) – took part in the execution of the Sbarro restaurant suicide bombing in Jerusalem (2001).[48]
  • Muhammad Taher Mahmud al-Qaram (15 life sentences) – directly involved in the planning and execution of a bus attack in Haifa in which 15 Israelis were killed.[citation needed]
  • Ahmed Mustafa Saleh Hamed al-Najar (7 life sentences) – led a militant squad that killed 3 Israelis in shooting attacks.[45]
  • Yahya Sinwar (4 life sentences) – took part in the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers in 1989 and was sentenced to life in prison. Founder of the Hamas security apparatus in Gaza. His brother organized the abduction of Gilad Shalit in 2006.[47]
  • Abd-Al-Aziz Muhammad Amar (4 life sentences) – took part in the execution of the Café Hillel bombing (2003).[49]
  • Ibrahim Sulaim Mahmud Shammasina (3 life sentences) – took part in the killing of the boys Ronen Kramni and Lior Tuboul, the taxi driver Rafi Doron and the soldier Yehushua Friedberg.
  • Amir Sa'ud Salih Abu Sarhan (3 life sentences) – killed three Israelis with a knife in 1990.[citation needed]
  • Mahmud Muhammad Ahmed Atwan (3 life sentences), Musa Daud Muhammad Akari (3 life sentences), and Majid Hassan Rajab Abu Qatish (3 life sentences) – militants that killed the Israeli policeman Nissim Toledano in 1992.[50]
  • Muhammad Yussuf Hassan al-Sharatha (3 life sentences) – head of the militant squad that kidnapped and killed the Israeli soldiers Ilan Saadon and Avi Sasportas during the First Intifada.[47]
  • Abd al-Aziz Yussuf Mustafa Salehi (1 life sentence) – participant in the 2000 Ramallah lynching who was iconically photographed displaying his blood-stained hands to the Palestinian mob after having beaten an Israeli soldier to death.[45]
  • Bassam Ibrahim Abd al-Qader Abu Asneina (1 life sentence) and Riyadh Zakariya Khalil Asayla (1 life sentences) – Killed the yeshiva student Chaim Kerman.[48]
  • Fahed Sabri Barhan al-Shaludi (1 life sentence) – took part in the kidnapping and killing of the Israeli soldier Yaron Chen.[48]
  • Fuad Muhammad Abdulhadi Amrin (1 life sentence) – killed 15-year-old Israeli schoolgirl Helena Rapp in 1992.[51]
  • Jihad Muhammad Shaker Yaghmur (1 life sentence) – took part in the killing of Nachshon Wachsman.[47]
  • Mona Jaud Awana (1 life sentence) – lured over the Internet the 16-year-old Israeli high school student Ofir Rahum, pretending to be a young American tourist, managed to drive him to a remote area in the outskirts of Ramallah where three Palestinian gunmen showed up and shot Rahum at close range.[46]
  • Muhammad Abdul-Rahman Muhammad Zakut (1 life sentence) – Tel Aviv construction worker who stabbed three Israelis, killing two, on the holiday of Purim, 21 March 1989.[52][53]
  • Tarek Ahmed Abd al-Karim Hasayin (1 life sentence) – carried out the shooting attack on Highway 6 in June 2003, in which the 7-year-old girl Noam Leibowitz was killed.[48]
  • Yussuf Dhib Hamed Abu Aadi (1 life sentence) – Convicted of stabbing Israeli soldier Nir Kahana in 2005.[54]
  • Sh'hadeh Muhammad Hussein Sana'a (1 life sentence) – participated in the King George Street bombing by leading the suicide bomber to his destination.[55]
  • Abdallah Nasser Mahmud Arar (1 life sentence) – Member of the Hamas cell responsible for kidnapping and killing Israeli businessman Sasson Nuriel in 2005.[56][57]
  • Ahmed Jibril Othman al-Takruri (1 life sentence) – Carried out a firebomb attack on a bus in Jericho, in which a mother and her three children, and a soldier who tried to rescue them, were murdered.
  • Alaa al-Din Radha al-Bazyan (1 life sentence) – Convicted of perpetrating sniper attacks and belonging to a terrorist group.[58]
  • Ali Muhammad Ali al-Qadhi (1 life sentence) – Member of a Hamas cell responsible for kidnapping and killing Israeli businessman Sasson Nuriel in 2005.[56][57]
  • Bushra al-Tawil (16 months) – Palestinian photojournalist. She was rearrested in 2014 and had to serve the remainder of her imprisonment.[59]

Second phase

During the second phase of the swap deal, and according to the agreement, Israel alone determined the list of the prisoners to be released. However, in consultation with Egypt. The released prisoners were made of: 300 Fatah members, 50 The Popular Front members, and 20 members of The Democratic Front. The remaining 657 had no political affiliation. Egypt asked Israel to include nine Palestinian women prisoners who had not been released from Israeli prisons during the first phase. Eventually it was agreed that Israel ultimately released six women prisoners. Hours before the release, clashes broke outside of Israeli Ofer prison, between the Israeli security forces and the families of Palestinians prisoners who were expected to be released in the swap deal,[60] due to the late hour of the release, which they claimed damages the festivities, as well as the fact that most of the prisoners list is made up of prisoners that were expected to be released soon anyway (300 were supposed to be released within a year). Prior to the swap deal, Netanyahu was under pressure to make gestures toward Mahmoud Abbas during the second phase of the swap deal, because in the first phase Hamas prisoners were released and not Fatah. These pressures included one claim from Abbas who argued that such a promise was given to him by former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.[61] Despite the fact that in the second phase there were no Hamas prisoners released and two-thirds were Fatah prisoners, as aforementioned, 300 were expected to be released in about a year anyway, and the Palestinian Authority blamed Hamas. In addition, Hamas also declared that it would continue to kidnap Israeli soldiers in order to release the rest of the Palestinian prisoners serving time in Israeli prisons.[62]

According to the Israeli criteria, the prisoners that were released in the second phase of the swap deal, are ones who are defined as not having "blood on their hands".[63]

Prominent prisoners Israel refused to release

The exchange is also remembered for the well-known prisoners that Israel refused to release, including:

Public reactions following approval of the agreement

Israel

According to a 2011 poll reported by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, 79% of the Israeli people supported the exchange,[68] while 14% opposed it.

Almagor, an Israeli organization representing victims of attacks, criticized the Shalit deal as "a victory for terror and Hamas."[69] According to its figures, terrorists freed in past prisoner exchanges cost 180 Israelis their lives.[70] On 14 October, the memorial to Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in Tel Aviv was defaced with graffiti, with the words "Free Yigal Amir" and "Price Tag" spray-painted on to the memorial. The perpetrator, Shvuel Schijveschuurder of Giv'at Shmuel, was arrested shortly afterward. Schijveschuurder's parents and three siblings were killed in the Sbarro restaurant suicide bombing, and he had vandalized the memorial out of anger that two prisoners involved in the Sbarro attack were included in the swap deal. His sister Leah later told media that the family was seriously considering leaving for the Netherlands, where their parents immigrated from.[71][72][73]

Commentator Nahum Barnea of Yedioth Aharonoth said that under the circumstances, considering that the alternative may have been to let Shalit die in captivity, the deal was unavoidable, despite its attendant security risks.[74]

Palestinian territories

Reactions to the swap deal in the Gaza Strip were positive in general, with some convinced Hamas could have achieved a better deal from its perspective.[75] Shawan Jabrin, general director of Palestinian human rights organization Al Haq, said that the deportation of some prisoners to other countries "goes against the Geneva Conventions" and is part of an Israeli scheme to drive Palestinians out of the area.[76]

Huge crowds turned out to welcome the released prisoners in Gaza, chanting demands for militants to seize more Israeli soldiers.[77]

Following her release, Ahlam Tamimi gave an interview which was later posted on the Internet (as translated by MEMRI) in which she stated:

I do not regret what happened. Absolutely not. This is the path. I dedicated myself to Jihad for the sake of Allah, and Allah granted me success. You know how many casualties there were [in the 2001 attack on the Sbarro pizzeria]. This was made possible by Allah. Do you want me to denounce what I did? That's out of the question. I would do it again today, and in the same manner.[78]

In a public address delivered by Khalil Al-Khayeh, a member of the Hamas Gaza leadership, which aired on Al-Aqsa TV on 19 October 2011 (as translated by MEMRI), Al-Khayeh praised some of the released prisoners. Al-Khayeh praised Amir Sa'ud Salih Abu Sarhan and Ashraf Ba'louja for "stabbing the enemies of Allah" and Khalil Abu 'Elba who "drives a car, and crushes the enemies of Allah." He also praised Abd al-Hadi Rafa Ghanim for "divert[ing] a bus from its course and into a ravine near Jerusalem." He further added that "we mustn't forget the Knives Revolution... Our brothers Abd Al-Rahman Al-Dib and Khaled Al-Jei'di... In these streets, they would bring the Jews down, one after the other."[79]

In 2012, Hamas celebrated the anniversary of Gilad Shalit's release with a week of celebrations, and vowed to capture more Israeli soldiers.[80]

Official reactions

Involved parties

Israel:

  • Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the deal struck "the right balance" between Israeli security risks and the imperative of returning Shalit "to his family and people."[81] In a televised address from Tel Nof Airbase, Netanyahu stated, "Today we are all united in joy and in pain."[39]
  • President Shimon Peres thanked Netanyahu for what he called the prime minister's "brave decision" and said it was a time to embrace the families who lost their loved ones in terrorist attacks.[82]
  • Opposition leader Tzipi Livni said she respected the government's decision and sent her blessings to the Shalit family and to all of Israel.[83]
  • Israeli chief rabbis Shlomo Amar and Yona Metzger released a joint statement welcoming the deal.[84]

Palestinian territories:

  • Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas expressed support for the deal and said efforts would continue to secure the release of the remaining prisoners being held in Israel.[85] Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki questioned the timing of the swap deal, implying it may have been intended to marginalize the role of the Palestinian Authority and Abbas.[86]
  • Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal hailed the deal as a victory for the Palestinian people.[87]
  • Abu Obaida, the spokesman of Hamas' armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, said in a televised statement in Gaza that "We will not give up until prisons are shut down. A chapter has ended but there are other chapters."[39]

Intergovernmental organizations

  • UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described the prisoner exchange deal as a "significant humanitarian breakthrough" and expressed hope that the event would have a far-reaching and positive impact on the stalled Middle East peace process.[88]
  • A spokesman for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed the office's concern that shipping prisoners abroad is in breach of international law.[89]
  • Quartet on the Middle East representative Tony Blair said the return of Gilad Shalit was "a moment of great joy" for Gilad Shalit and his family as well as the Palestinian prisoners released in the swap deal and their families. Blair also said that he hopes the prisoner swap deal "is a moment of opportunity—not only for Gaza—but also a regaining and revival of credibility in the peace process".[90]

International

  • United States –
    • President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton welcomed the release of Shalit and, saying he was imprisoned for "far too long".[91]
    • White House Press Secretary Jay Carney stated that "We are pleased by the reports that Mr. Shalit will be home soon with his family. The president, as you know, has called many times for his release, and that his release is long overdue."[92]
  • United Kingdom – British Foreign Secretary William Hague welcomed the agreement and expressed a hope that Shalit would be reunited with his family "as soon as possible."[93]
  • France – French President Nicolas Sarkozy warmly welcomed the agreement to free Shalit and thanked Egypt for its role in the negotiations.[94]
  • Germany – Germany, which played a leading role in the prisoner swap negotiations, expressed its support for the deal.[95]
  • Russia – The Russian Foreign Ministry published a statement saying, "The exchange gives reasons to expect that the parties will mange [sic] to make progress in the settlement of other sensitive issues".[96]
  • Turkey – Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu welcomed Gilad's release and stated that Turkey was happy to see Gilad Shalit going free.[97] Turkey along with Egypt and Germany had played a key role in Shalit's release.
  • Iran – Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast stated that Tehran congratulates the Palestinian nation on its "victory" in the release of Palestinian prisoners.[98]

Subsequent events

On 18 October 2011, the family of Solomon Liebman, who was killed in a shooting attack 13 years earlier, announced a potential financial reward of $100,000 for anyone who killed the two murderers of Solomon Liebman (Khuwailid Ramadan and Nizar Ramadan) who were released in the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange deal.[99] In response to this statement, on 25 October 2011 the Saudi cleric and preacher Sheik Awadh al-Qarani offered a financial reward of $100,000 for anyone who managed to kidnap an Israeli soldier to be replaced with more Palestinian prisoners.[100] On 29 October 2011, the Saudi royal Prince Khaled bin Talal stated that he has decided to show solidarity with al-Qarani offering a financial reward of $900,000 to those who would manage to kidnap more Israeli soldiers, thus making the total financial reward stand at a $1 million.[101] On 8 February 2012, it was reported that Iman Sharona, one of the militants freed in the exchange, had been re-arrested by Israeli authorities after allegedly continuing to perform terrorist activities.[102]

Released prisoners engaged in new attacks

In October 2012, data was released indicating dozens of the released Palestinian prisoners in the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange had resumed paramilitary activity. Many of them joined the leadership of Hamas, other Palestinian prisoners instead developed weapons and fired rockets at Israeli population centers, and some recruited members to new guerrilla cells in the West Bank. One of these cells in Hebron allegedly planted a bomb and plotted to kidnap an Israeli soldier. Released prisoners in the West Bank have also engaged in violent activity, and Israeli authorities arrested 40 of them for rioting, hurling Molotov cocktails, handling funding for terrorism, and other acts.[103]

In 2014, the IDF launched Operation Brother's Keeper in response to the disappearance of three Israelis in the West Bank. Part of the operation included rearresting some of the Palestinians released under the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange.

In July 2015, Israeli news sources calculated that six Israelis had been killed in incidents involving prisoners released under the Shalit deal who had returned to militant activity.[104][105] Malachi Rosenfeld was murdered in the 2015 Shvut Rachel shooting directed by released prisoner Ahmed Najar. Released prisoner Asama Asad was complicit in the murder of Danny Gonen.[105][106]

See also

References

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External links

 
Wikinews has related news:
  • Gilad Shalit to be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners
  • Gilad Shalit released in exchange for 1027 Palestinian terrorists
  • Prominent Palestinian prisoners to be freed in swap with Israel[dead link] – published on the Washington Post on 16 October 2011
  • Israel court to rule on Shalit swap deal – published on BBC News on 17 October 2011

January 06, 2023
gilad, shalit, prisoner, exchange, hebrew, עסקת, שליט, arabic, صفقة, شاليط, also, known, wafa, ahrar, faithful, free, followed, 2011, agreement, between, israel, hamas, release, israeli, soldier, gilad, shalit, exchange, prisoners, almost, palestinians, arab, . The Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange Hebrew עסקת שליט Arabic صفقة شاليط also known as Wafa al Ahrar Faithful to the free 1 followed a 2011 agreement between Israel and Hamas to release Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for 1 027 prisoners almost all Palestinians and Arab Israelis although there were also a Ukrainian 2 a Jordanian 3 and a Syrian 4 Two hundred and eighty of these had been sentenced to life in prison for planning and perpetrating various attacks against Israeli targets 5 6 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcoming Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit at Tel Nof after his release from Hamas captivity Hamas military leader Ahmed Jabari was quoted in the Saudi Arabian newspaper Al Hayat as confirming that the prisoners released under the deal were collectively responsible for the killing of 569 Israelis 7 8 The agreement came five years and four months after Palestinian militants captured Shalit in southern Israel along the Gaza Strip border The deal brokered by Mossad official David Meidan through a secret back channel run by Gershon Baskin and Hamas Deputy Foreign Minister Dr Ghazi Hamad authorized by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on one side and Ahmed Jabari head of Izz ad Din al Qassam Brigades on the other side 9 The list of prisoners to be released based on previous work conducted by German and Egyptian mediators and coordinated by Bundesnachrichtendienst agent Gerhard Conrad 10 was signed in Egypt on 11 October 2011 Its first phase was executed on 18 October 2011 with Israel releasing 477 Palestinian prisoners and Hamas transferring Shalit to Cairo 11 In the second phase which took place during December 2011 another 550 prisoners were released 12 The agreement is to date the largest prisoner exchange agreement Israel has ever made and the highest price Israel has ever paid for a single soldier 13 14 Gilad Shalit was also the first captured Israeli soldier to be released alive in 26 years 15 Contents 1 Background 1 1 2006 Hamas cross border raid 1 2 Rescue attempt 1 3 Negotiations for release 1 4 The approval of the agreement 1 5 Controversy among the Israeli public 2 Implementation of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange 2 1 First phase 2 1 1 Egyptian state television interview 2 1 2 Prominent prisoners released as part of the deal 2 2 Second phase 2 3 Prominent prisoners Israel refused to release 3 Public reactions following approval of the agreement 3 1 Israel 3 2 Palestinian territories 4 Official reactions 4 1 Involved parties 4 2 Intergovernmental organizations 4 3 International 5 Subsequent events 5 1 Released prisoners engaged in new attacks 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksBackground Edit2006 Hamas cross border raid Edit Main article 2006 Hamas cross border raid On Sunday morning 25 June 2006 at about 5 30 am GMT 2 an armed squad of Palestinian special units from the Gaza Strip crossed the border into Israel via a 300 metre long 980 foot tunnel they dug near the Kerem Shalom border crossing 16 After crossing the border via the tunnel the militants backed by mortar and anti tank fire from within the Gaza Strip split into three groups to attack a watch tower an empty armored personnel carrier and a Merkava Mark III tank The militants managed to blow open the tank s rear doors with a rocket propelled grenade fired from point blank range and afterwards tossed hand grenades inside the tank Two crew members were killed by the grenades another team member was seriously wounded while the fourth team member Corporal Gilad Shalit was taken from the tank at gunpoint 17 Immediately afterward the Palestinian militant squad made their way back into the Gaza Strip with Shalit through the tunnel after they blew an opening in the security fence thus Shalit became the first Israeli soldier captured by Palestinians since the kidnapping and murder of Nachshon Wachsman in 1994 18 Meanwhile large Israeli military forces arrived at the site and began helping the wounded When they reached the tank the military forces discovered the two bodies When it became clear that there is only one wounded person in the tank and that the fourth crew member was missing an abduction alert was declared and various Israeli troops entered Gaza Shalit s captors held him in a secret location in the Gaza Strip for a total of 1 934 days leading up to the prisoner swap deal 19 While in captivity Hamas refused to allow the International Red Cross access to Shalit and the only indications that he was still alive were an audio tape a video recording and three letters 20 21 Rescue attempt Edit Main article 2006 Israel Gaza conflict Israeli forces entered Khan Yunis on 28 June 2006 to search for Shalit According to an Israeli embassy spokesman Israel did everything it could in exhausting all diplomatic options and gave Mahmoud Abbas the opportunity to return the abducted Israeli This operation can be terminated immediately conditioned on the release of Gilad Shalit 22 On the same day four Israeli Air Force aircraft flew over Syrian President Bashar Assad s palace in Latakia as an IDF spokesperson said that Israel views the Syrian leadership as a sponsor of Hamas 23 The operation did not succeed in finding Shalit Negotiations for release Edit Unofficial talks between Israel and Hamas began on 1 July 2006 six days after the abduction of Shalit by Gershon Baskin an Israeli peace activist co director of the Israeli Palestinian think tank IPCRI the Israel Palestine Center for Research and Information On that day Baskin arranged a telephone conversation between Hamas Government spokesman Ghazi Hamad and Noam Shalit the father of the soldier Baskin made contact with Prime Minister Olmert and informed him of this contact with Hamas On 9 September 2006 Baskin arranged for a hand written letter from Shalit to be delivered to the Representative Office of Egypt in Gaza the first sign of life from Shalit and the proof of an actual channel of communication had been established But later that day Olmert s representative Ofer Deckel told Baskin that he had to step down from his efforts because the Egyptian intelligence was taking over Deckel had been appointed by Olmert 50 days after Shalit s abduction In the end of December 2006 the Egyptians presented the agreed formula for a prisoner exchange in which Israel would release 1 000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Shalit in two phases This was the same agreement reached five years later After Olmert resigned from office on corruption charges and following elections in Israel which brought Netanyahu to power Deckel was replaced by former Mossad agent Hagai Haddas who worked primarily though the good offices of a German Intelligence Officer Gerhard Conrad Hadas resigned in failure in April 2011 and was replaced by Mossad Officer David Meidan Meidan took over on 18 April 2011 he was contacted by Gershon Baskin the very same day The secret back channel run by Baskin and Hamas Deputy Foreign Minister Ghazi Hamad was authorized by Netanyahu in May 2011 Netanyahu responded to a pilgrimage march called by Shalit s father for his release by saying he was willing to release 1 000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Shalit but that top Hamas leaders would not be among those released 24 Shalit s father had previously blamed the US for blocking talks on his son s release 25 The Baskin Hamad secret back channel produced a document of principles for the release on 14 July 2011 which was authorized by Prime Minister Netanyahu and Ahmad Jabri In August 2011 Egyptian moderated negotiations on determining the list of names of the prisoners to be released began with Hamas represented by Ahmed Jabari and three other Hamas officials and Israel represented by David Meidan and two other Israeli officials Haaretz reported that Israel proposed a prisoner swap and threatened that if Hamas rejected the proposal no swap would occur Hamas responded by warning that an end to negotiations would lead to Shalit s disappearance Negotiations were hung up over disagreements between the two parties regarding Israel s unwillingness to release all of the so called senior prisoners into the West Bank a demand Hamas rejects and regarding the particulars of releasing prisoners who were leaders of Hamas and other organizations 26 The approval of the agreement Edit On 11 October 2011 the pan Arab Al Arabiya network reported that Israel and Hamas had reached an agreement on Gilad Shalit Netanyahu convened a special Cabinet meeting to approve the Shalit deal The deal was brokered by German and Egyptian mediators and signed in Cairo 27 It stipulated the release of Gilad Shalit in exchange for 1 027 Israeli held security prisoners 280 of these served life sentences for planning and perpetrating various terror attacks against Israeli targets 5 6 The military Hamas leader Ahmed Jabari was quoted in the Saudi Arabian newspaper Al Hayat as confirming that the prisoners released as part of the deal were collectively responsible for 569 deaths of Israeli civilians 7 8 Gerald Steinberg political science professor at Bar Ilan University and president of NGO Monitor said that the goal of Israel allowing the Egyptians to take an active part was to help stabilize Cairo so they play a constructive role in the region It s to show to other countries as well that Egypt is a counterweight to Turkey with Israel showing preference to Egypt 28 Shortly after Benjamin Netanyahu announced that an agreement had been reached the Israeli Cabinet convened in an emergency session to vote on the deal Twenty six ministers voted in favor of the deal while three voted against it Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman Minister of Strategic Affairs Moshe Ya alon and Minister of National Infrastructure Uzi Landau 29 Ya alon Likud argued that the prisoners would go back to terrorism and that they would destabilize the security situation in the West Bank 30 Landau Yisrael Beiteinu warned that the deal would be a huge victory for terror and that it would encourage more abductions of Israelis 31 On 15 October the Israeli Justice Ministry published the list of the 477 prisoners that Israel intends to release as part of the first phase of the agreement Controversy among the Israeli public Edit Shalit s mother and brother at IPO solidarity concertDuring the time period in which Shalit was in captivity the Shalit issue became a highly debated and controversial matter within the Israeli public Following the calls from terror victims widows in 2009 to release the killers of their loved ones in exchange for Shalit Ze ev Rapp the father of the late Helena Rapp publicly expressed his strong objection 32 Those who support this move don t understand the grief they re causing us The memory of our loved ones cries out from beneath the earth for revenge Blood is pouring from our heart and soul stop bringing up these bleeding hearts ideas Stop drinking our blood 33 The Israeli press also extensively debated this issue Israeli analyst Dan Schueftan has called the possible swap deal the greatest significant victory for terrorism that Israel has made possible since its establishment 34 Daniel Bar Tal a professor of political psychology at Tel Aviv University said Here we see the basic dilemmas between the individual and the collective and we see victim pitted against victim Gilad Shalit is a victim who was violently kidnapped in a way that Israelis do not consider to be a normative means of struggle Therefore one side says he should be returned at any price But the families of those killed in terrorist attacks and the people who were wounded in those attacks are victims too and they say that no price should be paid to the murderers And it is truly a dilemma because no side is right and no side is wrong 35 Others believe that the disagreement among Israelis represents rifts and changes within Israeli society Attorney Dalia Gavriely Nur a lecturer at Bar Ilan University says that the camp opposing the prisoners deal is holding onto a view of society in which the individual was expected to sacrifice himself for the good of society the camp supporting the prisoner release is expressing a shift to a more privatized society 35 The debate over this issue was also reflected amongst others in the Israeli cabinet meeting in which the agreement was approved after being supported by 26 ministers and opposed by three ministers Avigdor Lieberman Moshe Ya alon and Uzi Landau who said this deal is a triumph for terror and is detrimental to Israel s security and deterrence 36 Implementation of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange EditFurther information List of prisoners released by Israel in the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange Gilad Shalit at IDF base Amitai near Kerem Shalom on the phone with his parents 18 October 2011 Shalit soon after arriving Kerem Shalom Israel 18 October 2011 Shalit meets his father for the first time in five years 18 October 2011 The agreement is implemented in two stages In the first stage Gilad Shalit was transferred from the Gaza Strip to Egypt and from there to Israel concurrently Israel released 477 prisoners 37 In the second stage which took place two months later another 550 prisoners were released 12 First phase Edit Of the first 450 131 were released to Gaza while 110 returned to their homes in the West Bank Six Israeli Palestinians were also released The remaining 203 prisoners were deported with 40 barred from Israel and the Palestinian territories 38 On 18 October the first group of Palestinian prisoners were transported to Egypt From there they will go to the West Bank and Gaza Strip On the same day Shalit was taken from Gaza to Egypt and from there to Israel Shalit was given a medical evaluation and was said to be in good health although pale and thin Shalit changed into a military uniform and traveled by helicopter to the Tel Nof Airbase where he met with his family and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 39 40 At Shalit s release Hamas had several militants with suicide belts in case the Israelis attempted to renege on the deal at the last minute 41 On the day of the release of Gilad Shalit immediately after he was transferred to the Red Cross Israel released 27 prisoners most of whom would be allowed to return to East Jerusalem and the West Bank and two of them would be deported abroad Afterwards the rest of the prisoners were transferred in buses to the West Bank Those that were expelled to Gaza or abroad were transferred first to Cairo citation needed Egyptian state television interview Edit Immediately following Hamas s release of Shalit he was interviewed on the Egyptian state owned television channel Nile TV by anchorwoman Shahira Amin Generating a storm of criticism in Israel the interview was considered insensitive and exploitative An Israeli official stated We are all shocked that a so called interview was forced on Shalit before he could even talk to his family or set foot on Israeli soil Egyptian officials however claimed that the interview went according to agreements between Israel Egypt and Hamas and that Israel knew about it in advance 42 During the interview Shalit appeared uncomfortable and struggled to speak at points while breathing heavily 42 It later emerged that Hamas militants were still in the room with Shalit as the interview was set up 43 Israeli media accused Egypt of using the interview to advance Egyptian and pro Palestinian positions with the interviewer attempting to prompt Shalit to praise Egypt for its role in arranging the exchange as well as call for the release of all Palestinian prisoners 42 Israeli journalist Oren Kessler said the interview was not only exploitative but amateurish propagandistic opportunistic and downright cruel 44 Prominent prisoners released as part of the deal Edit Among the 1 027 prisoners released are about 280 prisoners serving life sentences for planning and perpetrating terror attacks 5 including Husam Badran now Hamas spokesman in Qatar Walid Abd al Aziz Abd al Hadi Anajas 36 life sentences took part in the execution of the Cafe Moment bombing 2002 the Hebrew University bombing 2002 and the Rishon LeZion bombing 2002 45 Nasir Sami Abd al Razzaq Ali al Nasser Yataima 29 life sentences convicted of planning the Passover massacre 2002 in which 30 civilians were killed and 140 were wounded 45 Maedh Waal Taleb Abu Sharakh 19 life sentences Majdi Muhammad Ahmed Amr 19 life sentences and Fadi Muhammad Ibrahim al Jaaba 45 18 life sentences responsible for the attack on bus No 37 in Haifa in 2002 Tamimi Aref Ahmad Ahlam 16 life sentences Assisted in the execution of the Sbarro restaurant suicide bombing 2001 45 46 Abd al Hadi Rafa Ghanim 16 life sentences the surviving perpetrator of the Tel Aviv Jerusalem bus 405 suicide attack in which Ghneim seized the steering wheel of a crowded Egged commuter bus line No 405 and managed to pull the bus into a ravine in the area of Qiryat Ye arim 16 civilians were killed in the attack 47 Muhammad Waal Muhammad Douglas 15 life sentences took part in the execution of the Sbarro restaurant suicide bombing in Jerusalem 2001 48 Muhammad Taher Mahmud al Qaram 15 life sentences directly involved in the planning and execution of a bus attack in Haifa in which 15 Israelis were killed citation needed Ahmed Mustafa Saleh Hamed al Najar 7 life sentences led a militant squad that killed 3 Israelis in shooting attacks 45 Yahya Sinwar 4 life sentences took part in the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers in 1989 and was sentenced to life in prison Founder of the Hamas security apparatus in Gaza His brother organized the abduction of Gilad Shalit in 2006 47 Abd Al Aziz Muhammad Amar 4 life sentences took part in the execution of the Cafe Hillel bombing 2003 49 Ibrahim Sulaim Mahmud Shammasina 3 life sentences took part in the killing of the boys Ronen Kramni and Lior Tuboul the taxi driver Rafi Doron and the soldier Yehushua Friedberg Amir Sa ud Salih Abu Sarhan 3 life sentences killed three Israelis with a knife in 1990 citation needed Mahmud Muhammad Ahmed Atwan 3 life sentences Musa Daud Muhammad Akari 3 life sentences and Majid Hassan Rajab Abu Qatish 3 life sentences militants that killed the Israeli policeman Nissim Toledano in 1992 50 Muhammad Yussuf Hassan al Sharatha 3 life sentences head of the militant squad that kidnapped and killed the Israeli soldiers Ilan Saadon and Avi Sasportas during the First Intifada 47 Abd al Aziz Yussuf Mustafa Salehi 1 life sentence participant in the 2000 Ramallah lynching who was iconically photographed displaying his blood stained hands to the Palestinian mob after having beaten an Israeli soldier to death 45 Bassam Ibrahim Abd al Qader Abu Asneina 1 life sentence and Riyadh Zakariya Khalil Asayla 1 life sentences Killed the yeshiva student Chaim Kerman 48 Fahed Sabri Barhan al Shaludi 1 life sentence took part in the kidnapping and killing of the Israeli soldier Yaron Chen 48 Fuad Muhammad Abdulhadi Amrin 1 life sentence killed 15 year old Israeli schoolgirl Helena Rapp in 1992 51 Jihad Muhammad Shaker Yaghmur 1 life sentence took part in the killing of Nachshon Wachsman 47 Mona Jaud Awana 1 life sentence lured over the Internet the 16 year old Israeli high school student Ofir Rahum pretending to be a young American tourist managed to drive him to a remote area in the outskirts of Ramallah where three Palestinian gunmen showed up and shot Rahum at close range 46 Muhammad Abdul Rahman Muhammad Zakut 1 life sentence Tel Aviv construction worker who stabbed three Israelis killing two on the holiday of Purim 21 March 1989 52 53 Tarek Ahmed Abd al Karim Hasayin 1 life sentence carried out the shooting attack on Highway 6 in June 2003 in which the 7 year old girl Noam Leibowitz was killed 48 Yussuf Dhib Hamed Abu Aadi 1 life sentence Convicted of stabbing Israeli soldier Nir Kahana in 2005 54 Sh hadeh Muhammad Hussein Sana a 1 life sentence participated in the King George Street bombing by leading the suicide bomber to his destination 55 Abdallah Nasser Mahmud Arar 1 life sentence Member of the Hamas cell responsible for kidnapping and killing Israeli businessman Sasson Nuriel in 2005 56 57 Ahmed Jibril Othman al Takruri 1 life sentence Carried out a firebomb attack on a bus in Jericho in which a mother and her three children and a soldier who tried to rescue them were murdered Alaa al Din Radha al Bazyan 1 life sentence Convicted of perpetrating sniper attacks and belonging to a terrorist group 58 Ali Muhammad Ali al Qadhi 1 life sentence Member of a Hamas cell responsible for kidnapping and killing Israeli businessman Sasson Nuriel in 2005 56 57 Bushra al Tawil 16 months Palestinian photojournalist She was rearrested in 2014 and had to serve the remainder of her imprisonment 59 Second phase Edit During the second phase of the swap deal and according to the agreement Israel alone determined the list of the prisoners to be released However in consultation with Egypt The released prisoners were made of 300 Fatah members 50 The Popular Front members and 20 members of The Democratic Front The remaining 657 had no political affiliation Egypt asked Israel to include nine Palestinian women prisoners who had not been released from Israeli prisons during the first phase Eventually it was agreed that Israel ultimately released six women prisoners Hours before the release clashes broke outside of Israeli Ofer prison between the Israeli security forces and the families of Palestinians prisoners who were expected to be released in the swap deal 60 due to the late hour of the release which they claimed damages the festivities as well as the fact that most of the prisoners list is made up of prisoners that were expected to be released soon anyway 300 were supposed to be released within a year Prior to the swap deal Netanyahu was under pressure to make gestures toward Mahmoud Abbas during the second phase of the swap deal because in the first phase Hamas prisoners were released and not Fatah These pressures included one claim from Abbas who argued that such a promise was given to him by former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert 61 Despite the fact that in the second phase there were no Hamas prisoners released and two thirds were Fatah prisoners as aforementioned 300 were expected to be released in about a year anyway and the Palestinian Authority blamed Hamas In addition Hamas also declared that it would continue to kidnap Israeli soldiers in order to release the rest of the Palestinian prisoners serving time in Israeli prisons 62 According to the Israeli criteria the prisoners that were released in the second phase of the swap deal are ones who are defined as not having blood on their hands 63 Prominent prisoners Israel refused to release Edit The exchange is also remembered for the well known prisoners that Israel refused to release including Marwan Barghouti convicted of 5 counts of murder authorizing and organizing the murder of Georgios Tsibouktzakis a shooting adjacent to Giv at Ze ev in which a civilian was killed and the Seafood Market attack in Tel Aviv in which 3 civilians inside Israel were killed 64 65 66 Ahmad Sa adat Secretary General of the militant Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine 67 64 Ibrahim Hamed a commander of Hamas terrorist bombings and suicide bombings 64 Public reactions following approval of the agreement EditIsrael Edit According to a 2011 poll reported by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth 79 of the Israeli people supported the exchange 68 while 14 opposed it Almagor an Israeli organization representing victims of attacks criticized the Shalit deal as a victory for terror and Hamas 69 According to its figures terrorists freed in past prisoner exchanges cost 180 Israelis their lives 70 On 14 October the memorial to Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in Tel Aviv was defaced with graffiti with the words Free Yigal Amir and Price Tag spray painted on to the memorial The perpetrator Shvuel Schijveschuurder of Giv at Shmuel was arrested shortly afterward Schijveschuurder s parents and three siblings were killed in the Sbarro restaurant suicide bombing and he had vandalized the memorial out of anger that two prisoners involved in the Sbarro attack were included in the swap deal His sister Leah later told media that the family was seriously considering leaving for the Netherlands where their parents immigrated from 71 72 73 Commentator Nahum Barnea of Yedioth Aharonoth said that under the circumstances considering that the alternative may have been to let Shalit die in captivity the deal was unavoidable despite its attendant security risks 74 Palestinian territories Edit This section may be unbalanced towards certain viewpoints Please improve the article by adding information on neglected viewpoints or discuss the issue on the talk page November 2011 Reactions to the swap deal in the Gaza Strip were positive in general with some convinced Hamas could have achieved a better deal from its perspective 75 Shawan Jabrin general director of Palestinian human rights organization Al Haq said that the deportation of some prisoners to other countries goes against the Geneva Conventions and is part of an Israeli scheme to drive Palestinians out of the area 76 Huge crowds turned out to welcome the released prisoners in Gaza chanting demands for militants to seize more Israeli soldiers 77 Following her release Ahlam Tamimi gave an interview which was later posted on the Internet as translated by MEMRI in which she stated I do not regret what happened Absolutely not This is the path I dedicated myself to Jihad for the sake of Allah and Allah granted me success You know how many casualties there were in the 2001 attack on the Sbarro pizzeria This was made possible by Allah Do you want me to denounce what I did That s out of the question I would do it again today and in the same manner 78 In a public address delivered by Khalil Al Khayeh a member of the Hamas Gaza leadership which aired on Al Aqsa TV on 19 October 2011 as translated by MEMRI Al Khayeh praised some of the released prisoners Al Khayeh praised Amir Sa ud Salih Abu Sarhan and Ashraf Ba louja for stabbing the enemies of Allah and Khalil Abu Elba who drives a car and crushes the enemies of Allah He also praised Abd al Hadi Rafa Ghanim for divert ing a bus from its course and into a ravine near Jerusalem He further added that we mustn t forget the Knives Revolution Our brothers Abd Al Rahman Al Dib and Khaled Al Jei di In these streets they would bring the Jews down one after the other 79 In 2012 Hamas celebrated the anniversary of Gilad Shalit s release with a week of celebrations and vowed to capture more Israeli soldiers 80 Official reactions EditInvolved parties Edit Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the deal struck the right balance between Israeli security risks and the imperative of returning Shalit to his family and people 81 In a televised address from Tel Nof Airbase Netanyahu stated Today we are all united in joy and in pain 39 President Shimon Peres thanked Netanyahu for what he called the prime minister s brave decision and said it was a time to embrace the families who lost their loved ones in terrorist attacks 82 Opposition leader Tzipi Livni said she respected the government s decision and sent her blessings to the Shalit family and to all of Israel 83 Israeli chief rabbis Shlomo Amar and Yona Metzger released a joint statement welcoming the deal 84 Palestinian territories Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas expressed support for the deal and said efforts would continue to secure the release of the remaining prisoners being held in Israel 85 Foreign Minister Riyad al Maliki questioned the timing of the swap deal implying it may have been intended to marginalize the role of the Palestinian Authority and Abbas 86 Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal hailed the deal as a victory for the Palestinian people 87 Abu Obaida the spokesman of Hamas armed wing the Izz ad Din al Qassam Brigades said in a televised statement in Gaza that We will not give up until prisons are shut down A chapter has ended but there are other chapters 39 Intergovernmental organizations Edit UN Secretary General Ban Ki moon described the prisoner exchange deal as a significant humanitarian breakthrough and expressed hope that the event would have a far reaching and positive impact on the stalled Middle East peace process 88 A spokesman for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed the office s concern that shipping prisoners abroad is in breach of international law 89 Quartet on the Middle East representative Tony Blair said the return of Gilad Shalit was a moment of great joy for Gilad Shalit and his family as well as the Palestinian prisoners released in the swap deal and their families Blair also said that he hopes the prisoner swap deal is a moment of opportunity not only for Gaza but also a regaining and revival of credibility in the peace process 90 International Edit United States President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton welcomed the release of Shalit and saying he was imprisoned for far too long 91 White House Press Secretary Jay Carney stated that We are pleased by the reports that Mr Shalit will be home soon with his family The president as you know has called many times for his release and that his release is long overdue 92 United Kingdom British Foreign Secretary William Hague welcomed the agreement and expressed a hope that Shalit would be reunited with his family as soon as possible 93 France French President Nicolas Sarkozy warmly welcomed the agreement to free Shalit and thanked Egypt for its role in the negotiations 94 Germany Germany which played a leading role in the prisoner swap negotiations expressed its support for the deal 95 Russia The Russian Foreign Ministry published a statement saying The exchange gives reasons to expect that the parties will mange sic to make progress in the settlement of other sensitive issues 96 Turkey Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu welcomed Gilad s release and stated that Turkey was happy to see Gilad Shalit going free 97 Turkey along with Egypt and Germany had played a key role in Shalit s release Iran Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast stated that Tehran congratulates the Palestinian nation on its victory in the release of Palestinian prisoners 98 Subsequent events EditOn 18 October 2011 the family of Solomon Liebman who was killed in a shooting attack 13 years earlier announced a potential financial reward of 100 000 for anyone who killed the two murderers of Solomon Liebman Khuwailid Ramadan and Nizar Ramadan who were released in the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange deal 99 In response to this statement on 25 October 2011 the Saudi cleric and preacher Sheik Awadh al Qarani offered a financial reward of 100 000 for anyone who managed to kidnap an Israeli soldier to be replaced with more Palestinian prisoners 100 On 29 October 2011 the Saudi royal Prince Khaled bin Talal stated that he has decided to show solidarity with al Qarani offering a financial reward of 900 000 to those who would manage to kidnap more Israeli soldiers thus making the total financial reward stand at a 1 million 101 On 8 February 2012 it was reported that Iman Sharona one of the militants freed in the exchange had been re arrested by Israeli authorities after allegedly continuing to perform terrorist activities 102 Released prisoners engaged in new attacks Edit In October 2012 data was released indicating dozens of the released Palestinian prisoners in the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange had resumed paramilitary activity Many of them joined the leadership of Hamas other Palestinian prisoners instead developed weapons and fired rockets at Israeli population centers and some recruited members to new guerrilla cells in the West Bank One of these cells in Hebron allegedly planted a bomb and plotted to kidnap an Israeli soldier Released prisoners in the West Bank have also engaged in violent activity and Israeli authorities arrested 40 of them for rioting hurling Molotov cocktails handling funding for terrorism and other acts 103 In 2014 the IDF launched Operation Brother s Keeper in response to the disappearance of three Israelis in the West Bank Part of the operation included rearresting some of the Palestinians released under the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange In July 2015 Israeli news sources calculated that six Israelis had been killed in incidents involving prisoners released under the Shalit deal who had returned to militant activity 104 105 Malachi Rosenfeld was murdered in the 2015 Shvut Rachel shooting directed by released prisoner Ahmed Najar Released prisoner Asama Asad was complicit in the murder of Danny Gonen 105 106 See also EditIsraeli Palestinian conflict Pidyon Shvuyim Jibril Agreement Elhanan Tannenbaum 2008 Israel Hezbollah prisoner exchange List of Arab Israeli prisoner exchanges List of prisoners released by Israel in the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange David MeidanReferences Edit Five years on The Wafa al Ahrar agreement and prisoner exchange 19 October 2016 Ukrainian mother of two among released Palestinian prisoners Archived 25 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine En ria ru Retrieved 20 October 2011 Deported Palestinian prisoners face new life of exile Archived 20 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine Cbc ca 13 October 2011 Retrieved 20 October 2011 Damascus ignores only Syrian prisoner freed in Israeli swap deal permanent dead link MonstersandCritics com 19 October 2011 Retrieved 22 October 2011 a b c Hamas to gain politically from prisoner swap deal xinhuanet com 20 October 2011 a b Mishra Harinder 12 October 2011 Israel to release 1 027 prisoners for its lone soldier IBN Live Jerusalem Archived from the original on 11 January 2012 Retrieved 16 October 2011 a b Army Radio newscast 20 October 2011 a b Shalit s Captors He Wasn t Tortured He Received Medical Care and Watched TV Haaretz Retrieved 1 November 2022 Ravid Barak 14 October 2011 The Israeli academic who played a critical role in the Shalit deal Haaretz Retrieved 26 June 2014 https web archive org web 20221102094406 https www theguardian com world 2011 oct 12 gerhard conrad german gilad shalit newsfeed true Archived 2 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine Gerhard Conrad German Mr Hezbollah who helped to free Gilad Shalit TheGuardian com Retrieved 20 October 2011 Captured soldier Gilad Shalit returns to Israel after five years in captivity News Core 18 October 2011 Retrieved 18 October 2011 a b Ben Quinn and agencies 18 October 2011 Gilad Shalit freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners The Guardian UK Retrieved 19 October 2011 Collard Rebecca 17 October 2011 Gilad Shalit deal West Bank prepares to welcome Palestinians home The Christian Science Monitor Retrieved 12 October 2012 Issacharoff Avi 15 March 2011 Israel and Hamas are both winners and losers in Shalit swap deal Haaretz Retrieved 7 October 2012 Knell Yolanda 18 October 2012 Shalit prisoners exchange One year on BBC Retrieved 18 October 2012 Two soldiers killed one missing in Kerem Shalom terror attack Archived 28 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine Mfa gov il Retrieved 29 August 2011 Butcher Tim 26 June 2006 Soldier kidnapped and two killed in Gaza tunnel attack Archived 2 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine Telegraph co uk Retrieved 20 October 2011 Israel seizes Hamas legislators BBC 29 June 2006 Cpl Gilad Shalit 19 First Israeli soldier captured by Palestinians since 1994 Amnesty International the human rights group called for all hostages to be released Israeli soldier finally to head home Montreal Gazette AFP 12 October 2011 Retrieved 16 October 2011 Hostage to Hamas Gilad Shalit s five year ordeal France24 12 October 2011 Retrieved 16 October 2011 Time of Israel Hamas prisoner swap not yet final Oman Daily Observer Tel Aviv DPA 15 October 2011 Archived from the original on 13 July 2012 Retrieved 16 October 2011 Rosenberg David 28 June 2006 Israeli Army Enters Gaza to Find Kidnapped Soldier update 2 Bloomberg Hanan Greenberg 28 June 2006 IAF Aerial flight over Assad s palace Ynet Archived from the original on 30 January 2008 Retrieved 25 January 2008 Israel ready to deal for Shalit release Netanyahu Reuters 1 July 2010 SElder Shalit blames US for blocking bargaining talks Archived 22 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine Shalomlife com Retrieved 29 August 2011 Egypt Shalit will disappear unless Israel compromises with Hamas Israel News Archived 19 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Haaretz Retrieved 29 August 2011 Ravid Barak 11 October 2011 How it happened The breakthrough that led to the Shalit deal Haaretz Retrieved 16 October 2011 Mitnick Joshua 12 October 2011 Hamas Vows Soldier s Release The Wall Street Journal Retrieved 18 October 2011 Israeli government approves deal with Hamas on Shalit France24 AFP 12 October 2011 Retrieved 16 October 2011 Ravid Barak 13 October 2011 Lieberman walked out of Shalit deal debate leaving no vote behind Haaretz Retrieved 16 October 2011 Heller Aron 12 October 2011 Uzi Landau Israeli Cabinet Minister Slams Gilad Shalit Prisoner Swap Deal The Huffington Post Jerusalem Retrieved 16 October 2011 Edelson Daniel 23 January 2009 Families of terror victims against release of killers Ynetnews Retrieved 25 October 2011 Edelson Daniel 23 January 2009 Families of terror victims No to the murderers release Ynet in Hebrew Retrieved 25 October 2011 Israeli Warplanes Bomb Gaza Tunnels Archived 12 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine Globalsecurity org 2010 01 02 Retrieved on 2011 08 29 a b Prisoners Dilemma Jerusalem Post Archived from the original on 24 January 2011 Retrieved 21 October 2011 Somfalvi Attila 12 October 2011 Cabinet approves Shalit deal Ynet Retrieved 25 October 2011 Scott Bobb Israeli Soldier 477 Palestinians Freed in Prisoner Swap News English Voanews com Retrieved 19 October 2011 Hamas and Israel confirm prisoner swap AlJazeera English 12 October 2011 Retrieved 18 October 2011 a b c Ethan Bronner and Stephen Farrell Hamas Frees Israeli Soldier as Prisoner Swap Begins Archived 2 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine 18 October 2011 Reuters Quinn Ben 18 October 2011 Gilad Shalit freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners The Guardian UK Retrieved 18 October 2011 Gilad Schalit was accompanied by suicide bombers at time of his release The Jerusalem Post JPost com a b c Egyptian newswoman defends Shalit interview YnetNews 18 October 2011 Retrieved 19 October 2011 Gilad Shalit release Shahira Amin defends interview BBC News 19 October 2011 Retrieved 19 October 2011 Oren Kessler 18 October 2011 Analysis Schalit on Egypt TV exploitative abusive cruel The Jerusalem Post Retrieved 19 October 2011 a b c d e f Dayan Dani Prisoner list includes planners o JPost Diplomacy amp Politics The Jerusalem Post Retrieved 19 October 2011 a b Prisoners Swap Release of 450 Palestinians within One Week Wafa Tel Aviv 12 October 2011 Archived from the original on 14 April 2012 Retrieved 16 October 2011 a b c d The Associated Press Prominent Palestinian prisoners to be freed 6 July 1989 Retrieved 19 October 2011 a b c d Levy Elior 20 June 1995 Names of prisoners in Shalit deal trickle through Arab media Ynetnews Ynetnews com Retrieved 19 October 2011 כלכליסט בארץ הרבה דם על הידיים פורסמה רשימת המשוחררים Calcalist co il 20 June 1995 Retrieved 19 October 2011 Miskin Maayana 14 October 2011 On Release List Kidnappers Murderers of Soldiers Israel National News Retrieved 19 October 2011 מגנזי אביאל 20 June 1995 ynet אבי הלנה ראפ איך רוצח שעקר לב משתחרר חדשות Ynet Ynet co il Retrieved 19 October 2011 The Gilad Shalit deal A Palestinian daughter s long wait for her father s return Al Arabiya 21 March 1989 Retrieved 19 October 2011 Israelis angry as Clinton equates Mideast victims Prisoners children likened to those of targets of terrorism Baltimore Sun 16 December 1998 Retrieved 19 October 2011 Levinson Chaim 17 March 2011 Who are the Palestinian prisoners set for release in Shalit deal Haaretz Daily Newspaper Israel News Archived 19 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine Haaretz com Retrieved on 2011 10 20 The Role of Palestinian Women in Suicide Terrorism Archived 18 December 2012 at archive today Communicated by Israeli security sources Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs January 2003 a b High Court decides not to intervene in S JPost National News Archived 19 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine Jpost com Retrieved on 2011 10 20 a b Middle East Hamas releases video of hostage Archived 2 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine BBC News 27 September 2005 Retrieved on 2011 10 20 East Jerusalem welcomes 16 released prisoners Archived 19 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine JPost com Retrieved 20 October 2011 Israel extends detention of Palestinian photojournalist student council president Middle East Eye 16 December 2019 Retrieved 26 January 2021 הושלמה עסקת שליט 550 אסירים שוחררו משטח ישראל Walla in Hebrew 19 December 2011 Retrieved 26 June 2014 לוי אליאור 5 December 2011 עסקת שליט חלק ב מחווה מישראל לאבו מאזן Ynet News Flash 2nd phase of Shalit deal underway Ynet News 18 December 2011 a b c Koopmans Ofira 12 October 2011 Marwan Barghouti not to be released Israeli minister says McClatchy Tribune Business News ProQuest 897162113 Gilad Shalit release Marwan Barghouti left out of prisoner switch The Daily Telegraph 18 October 2011 Retrieved 30 April 2017 Collard Rebecca 18 November 2011 The man Israel didn t release from prison Marwan Barghouti Christian Science Monitor Retrieved 30 April 2017 Danahar Paul 12 October 2010 Timing key to Shalit release deal BBC News Retrieved 18 October 2011 Ahronoth Yedioth 17 October 2011 Poll 79 of Israelis support Shalit deal Ynetnews Retrieved 17 October 2011 Joanna Paraszczuk Melanie Lidman 14 October 2011 Sbarro terror victims plan to petition High Court The Jerusalem Post Retrieved 16 October 2011 Azriel Guy 14 October 2011 Debate stirs in Israel Is prisoner exchange worth the cost CNN Retrieved 16 October 2011 Sbarro Orphans Israel Betrayed Us 28 October 2011 Malka Yoav 14 October 2011 Tel Aviv Price Tag in Rabin memorial Ynetnews Rabin memorial defaced by victim s kin in protest of Shalit prisoner swap Jewish Telegraphic Agency Jerusalem 14 October 2011 Archived from the original on 15 October 2011 Retrieved 16 October 2011 Israeli media lauds Shalit deal with reservations Khaleej Times Jerusalem AFP 12 October 2011 Retrieved 16 October 2011 Ofira Koopmans Jeff Abramowitz 12 October 2011 Analysis Hamas boosted by prisoners deal with Israel Monsters and Critics Tel Aviv Retrieved 16 October 2011 Nour Samaha Roxanne Horesh 12 October 2011 Prisoners dilemma Swap stirs controversy Al Jazeera Retrieved 16 October 2011 Tens of thousands celebrate in Gaza demand new Gilad Shalit Crowds celebrate homecoming of hundreds of prisoners exchanged for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit held by Hamas for five years 18 Oct 2011 The Associated Press http www haaretz com news diplomacy defense tens of thousands celebrate in gaza demand new gilad shalit 1 390803 Archived 19 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine Released Terrorist Ahlam Tamimi Sentenced to 16 Life Terms in Prison Takes Pride in the Number of Casualties She Caused and Proclaims I Would Do It Again Today Archived 20 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine MEMRI transcript Clip No 3157 19 October 2011 video clip available here Archived 28 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine Khalil Al Khayeh Member of the Hamas Gaza Leadership Salutes Released Palestinian Prisoners The Heroes of the Knife the Heroes of Martyrdom Operations Jihad and the Resistance Archived 15 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine MEMRI transcript Clip No 3165 19 October 2011 video clip available here Archived 2 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine Hamas Celebrates Anniversary of Shalit Deal Promises to Capture More Soldiers The Algemeiner 11 October 2012 Retrieved 14 October 2012 Greenberg Joel 11 October 2011 Gilad Shalit Israeli soldier held by Hamas to be released as part of deal Netanyahu announces The Washington Post Jerusalem Retrieved 18 September 2020 Hasson Nir 12 October 2011 Gilad Shalit s family leaves Jerusalem protest site to head home Haaretz Retrieved 16 October 2011 Livni I respect gov t decision on Schalit deal The Jerusalem Post 12 October 2011 Retrieved 16 October 2011 Somfalvi Attila 11 October 2011 Lieberman to oppose Shalit deal Ynetnews Retrieved 16 October 2011 Abbas applauds Israel Hamas prisoner deal Ma an News Agency Caracas Venezuela 12 October 2011 Retrieved 16 October 2011 Palestine split on Gilad Shalit swap Hurriyet Daily News Jerusalem Paris 13 October 2011 Retrieved 16 October 2011 Gilad Shalit Israel and Hamas agree prisoner swap deal BBC 11 October 2011 Retrieved 16 October 2011 UN Chief Prisoner Swap To Have Far Reaching Impact On Middle East Peace Process Archived 2 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine Rttnews com Retrieved on 2011 10 20 UN concerned at fate of Palestinian detainees The Jerusalem Post JPost com Blair Schalit s return is a moment of grea JPost Headlines Archived 18 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine Jpost com Retrieved on 2011 10 20 Gilad Shalit release hailed by Hillary Clinton Barack Obama Tim Mak Archived 19 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine Politico Com Retrieved on 2011 10 20 Natasha Mozgovaya 12 October 2011 White House Gilad Shalit release long overdue Haaretz Retrieved 16 October 2011 U K welcomes Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange deal Haaretz 11 October 2011 Retrieved 16 October 2011 Sarkozy congratulates Noam Shalit on prisoner exchange deal Ynetnews AFP 12 October 2011 Retrieved 17 October 2011 Eddy Melissa 11 October 2011 Germany supports Schalit release Taiwan News Associated Press Retrieved 16 October 2011 Moscow welcomes release of Israeli soldier Voice of Russia Retrieved on 2011 10 20 Turkey welcomes Israeli Palestinian prisoner swap deal Hurriyet Daily News Ankara AFP 12 October 2011 Retrieved 16 October 2011 World Leaders Welcome Israel Hamas Prisoner Swap News English Archived 19 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine Voanews com 20 August 2009 Retrieved on 2011 10 20 חדשות בארץ nrg משפחה שרוצחי בנה שוחררו נשלם למי Saudi cleric offers cash for Israel soldier kidnap Archived from the original on 27 October 2011 Saudi royal ups offer for capturing an Israeli soldier to 1 million The Washington Post 30 October 2011 Archived from the original on 31 October 2011 Retrieved 29 August 2017 משוחרר מעסקת שליט יחזור לכלא ל 27 שנים Released from the Shalit deal will return to prison for 27 years in Hebrew 8 February 2012 Fishman Alex 17 October 2012 Terrorists freed in Shalit deal resume terror activity data shows Ynetnews Yedioth Ahronot Retrieved 18 October 2012 Zitun Yoav 20 July 2015 Shalit deal death toll 4 years on Ynetnews a b Pilegg Tamar 20 July 2015 Palestinians freed in Shalit deal killed 6 Israelis since 2014 The Times of Israel Retrieved 21 July 2015 Eldar Shlomi 21 July 2015 Israel s failed prisoner release policies Al Monitor Retrieved 21 July 2015 External links Edit Wikinews has related news Gilad Shalit to be exchanged for Palestinian prisonersGilad Shalit released in exchange for 1027 Palestinian terrorists Prominent Palestinian prisoners to be freed in swap with Israel dead link published on the Washington Post on 16 October 2011 Israel court to rule on Shalit swap deal published on BBC News on 17 October 2011 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange amp oldid 1119582632, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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