Copyright 2003 Haaretz
September 24
HEADLINE: IAF chief: Ron Arad must be part of any prisoner swap
BYLINE: Amos Harel and Arnon Regular
With a prisoner-exchange deal with Hezbollah
rumored to be close, Israel Air Force commander
Major-General Dan Halutz has voiced opposition to
any swap that excludes airman Ron Arad, missing
since he was shot down over southern Lebanon 17
years ago, Israel Radio reported Wednesday.
In a letter sent to IDF Chief of
Staff Moshe Ya'alon, Halutz
said he viewed Ron Arad as
"part of any deal being worked
out toward any solution" of the
issue of missing servicemen,
the radio said. Halutz said
Arad, who was captured alive by
Lebanese militiamen but whose
fate is unknown, must be viewed
as still alive, so long as there is no proof to
the contrary.
Israel Defense Forces sources said Tuesday they
believe that a prisoner exchange deal with
Hezbollah could be finalized within two weeks.
Sources in Beirut were even more optimistic,
telling Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) that, "if
all goes well," the deal could be completed in
10 days.
Details of the proposed deal have been sketchy,
but it is widely believed in Israel that
demands for information on Arad's fate will not
be an essential element of the swap.
Al-Quds newspaper has reported that as part of
the deal, Israel would free Abdel Karim Obeid
and Mustafa Dirani - two Lebanese militant
leaders it kidnapped in 1989 and 1994
respectively, to win the release of IAF
navigator Arad, who was forced to abandon his
plane over Lebanon in 1986, as well as other
Palestinian, Lebanese and Syrian prisoners.
In return, Hezbollah would release Israeli
citizen Elhanan Tannenbaum and the three IDF
soldiers - Benny Avraham, Omar Suwad and Adi
Avitan - who were kidnapped in October 2000,
and who the IDF has declared war casualties
whose place of burial was unknown.
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz confirmed on
Tuesday that advances had been made in
negotiations over a hostage exchange deal with
Hezbollah.
Nevertheless, Mofaz emphasized the inaccuracy of
statements made by Hezbollah leader Hassan
Nasrallah regarding the names and numbers of
individuals the latter said would be released
in a deal.
The defense minister also noted that Israel does
not intend to release jailed senior Tanzim
leader Marwan Barghouti in any prisoner
exchange deal. Palestinian and Lebanese sources
have said, however, that the hostage swap deal
would include 400 Palestinian prisoners,
including Barghouti.
The East Jerusalem Al-Quds newspaper reported
Tuesday that the anticipated prisoner swap will
take place two days after the end of the Rosh
Hashanah holiday on Sunday night.
Barghouti is the highest-ranking Palestinian
figure currently jailed by Israel.
Mofaz made his statements at a Rosh Hashanah
toast with IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant
General Moshe Ya'alon.
Major-General (res.) Ilan Biran and Israel
Defense Forces representative "L" arrived
Tuesday in Germany to continue talks with
prisoner-swap mediator Ernst Urlau, who is
representing German Chancellor Gerhard
Schroeder's office. Israeli sources said the
consultations with the German representative
are at a critical stage in the negotiations.
Hanegbi: Barghouti will not be released
Public Security Minister Tzachi Hanegbi said
Tuesday that Israel will not free Barghouti.
"No one will release this man," Hanegbi told
Israel Radio, referring to Barghouti. "He is an
arch-murderer."
Hanegbi's remarks came one day after an Israeli
security source was quoted as saying that a
deal involving hundreds of prisoners, mainly
Palestinians, was "in the making, with the
definite possibility Barghouti will be
included."
"The State of Israel filed a very, very serious
indictment against Marwan Barghouti. He was
charged with personal responsibility in the
brutal murders of dozens of Israelis and the
wounding of hundreds," Hanegbi said, adding
that Barghouti's trial would continue, and if
convicted, the former leader of the militant
Fatah-Tanzim militia could be expected to serve
"dozens of years behind bars."
Earlier this week, a Palestinian source closely
associated with the German mediator brokering
the deal said that Israel agreed in principle
to release about 400 Arab prisoners, including
at least 200 Palestinians.
"A deal is advancing but to be finalized it
would have to be brought before [Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon's] security cabinet first for
authorization. We are not there yet," said the
security source, who asked not to be named.
Israel is examining the possibility of sending
into temporary or permanent exile Palestinian
prisoners expected to be released in the
prisoner exchange deal originally disclosed by
Hezbollah.
Prisoner group leaders in Israeli jails have
expressed agreement in principle to the
proposal as long as the expulsion is temporary.
Israeli security sources said that the latest
statements issued by Hezbollah leader Sheikh
Hassan Nasrallah are too optimistic, and that
no final agreement has yet to be reached over
the number, or identity, of Palestinians to be
released.