Cabinet Decision:
Framework Principles for the Agreement to Release Israeli Prisoners and
Hostages Held in Lebanon
The Government hereby resolves:
The Government approves the framework principles for the
agreement to release Israeli prisoners and hostages held in Lebanon:
A. The kidnapped soldiers Adi
Avitan, Benny Avraham and
Omar Sayyad, and the kidnapped citizen Elhanan
Tannenbaum
will be returned to Israel.
In exchange for the return of
the kidnapped Israelis, the State of Israel will release prisoners and detainees
who are being held in prison facilities under its control, as well as return
bodies and provide information, as follows:
- Approximately 400
Palestinian prisoners and detainees will be released to Judea, Samaria and Gaza. These prisoners and
detainees will be selected according to the criteria that those with blood
on their hands will not be released, as per Government
Resolution No. 606 of July 27, 2003.
- Several dozen prisoners without blood on their
hands from Lebanon, Syria, Morocco, Sudan and Libya will be released to
their respective countries, except for several of the Lebanese prisoners,
who were involved in incidents in Southern Lebanon in which IDF soldiers
were killed.
- Except for the aforementioned in paragraph 2,
there will be no release of other prisoners with blood on their hands.
- Tens of bodies of Lebanese, and information
regarding fallen soldiers, will be transferred to Lebanon.
- Information regarding landmine fields, which was
transferred to the UN during the IDF withdrawal from Lebanon, will be relayed.
B. Maj. Gen. (Res.) Ilan Biran, the Prime Ministers
coordinator in charge of negotiations for the release of kidnapped and missing
Israelis, will continue negotiating until a final agreement is reached, based
on the principles detailed in this resolution; the coordinator will continue to
pursue any information regarding the fate of captured
navigator Major Ron Arad.
C. Maj. Gen. Biran as well as representatives from the Mossad, GSS, IDF, the Israel Police and the Ministry of
Justice will compile the list of prisoners and detainees who are to be
released.
The list of prisoners and
detainees will be approved by the coordinating committee, headed by the
Director General of the Ministry of Justice, which was established as per
Government Resolution No. 645 of August 4, 2003, in accordance with this
resolution.
D. The
Government authorizes the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense to
complete and carry out the agreement according to the principles detailed in
this resolution.
E. The
Government of Israel reiterates its commitment to do its utmost - and never
give up - until the captured navigator Major Ron Arad
is returned to Israel. The Government instructs all
the active parties involved in the efforts to release navigator Ron Arad to continue acting in order to acquire any information
regarding navigator Ron Arads location, and ensure
his return to the State of Israel.
F. Before implementing the
aforementioned agreement, the Prime Minister and Minister of Defense will
examine whether or not it is possible to acquire information or anything else
which may hasten the return of captured navigator Ron Arad
in the context of the negotiations mentioned in paragraph B, and will act to
either carry out or suspend the agreement according to information acquired in
the said examination.
G. The Government of Israel
reiterates its commitment to do its utmost - and never give up - until the three
MIAs from the Battle of Sultan Yakoub -
Sergeant First Class Zvi Feldman, Sergeant First
Class Zachariah Baumel, and Sergeant First Class Yehuda Katz are returned to Israel, as well as do its
utmost to discover the fate of Corporal
Guy Hever, as well as do its utmost to
return to Israel all the MIAs and fallen soldiers whose place of burial is
unknown. The Government instructs all the active parties to continue acting in
order to acquire any information as to their whereabouts, and return them to
the State of Israel.