Well, it has happened - the Israelis released 19 female Palestinian prisoners and in return, received a two minute video of Gilad Shalit that, acccording to an anonymous Israeli official, shows Gilad as "healthy" and "lucid."
From the report at Breitbart:
It's my contention here that Hamas made the biggest gesture here - they produced a video in exchange for just 19 prisoners and those being females, means it wasn't a huge release of jihadis. Now, I do believe that this is setting the stage for the real deal - the return of Shalit. Now, I have no question that Hamas will ask for some big fish for that exchange but I'm convinced that what is driving this is Benjamin Netanyahu and the fear that Hamas has of this leader of Israel. Let's face it, since Netanyahu has taken over, just look at the number of attacks...either rocket or manned...against Israel. They've been almost non-existent. And it is my belief that top Hamas leaders are fidgeting. They are not positive that Netanyahu won't send in an action by the IDF to get Shalit and if they do, it will be lethal to Hamas. Couple all of this with what Hamas leadership freshly remembers about Operation Cast Lead.
Like I say, Hamas won't give up Gilad Shalit without asking for the world but it's obvious to me that they WANT him out of their hands soon.
From the report at Breitbart:
An Israeli official says a captured Israeli soldier looks healthy and speaks lucidly about his past in a two-minute video released by Gaza militants.Now, it will be interesting to see just how Hamas is proving that this video is recent - not sure if they have Gilad holding a newspaper or what but as always, I don't trust Hamas as far I can throw them. But what a relief this must be for Gilad Shalit's family...to know he is not only alive but apparently in decent shape.
The official says he saw the video of Sgt. Gilad Schalit, who was captured by Hamas-linked militants in June 2006.
It was the first glimpse of Schalit since he was taken captive.
It's my contention here that Hamas made the biggest gesture here - they produced a video in exchange for just 19 prisoners and those being females, means it wasn't a huge release of jihadis. Now, I do believe that this is setting the stage for the real deal - the return of Shalit. Now, I have no question that Hamas will ask for some big fish for that exchange but I'm convinced that what is driving this is Benjamin Netanyahu and the fear that Hamas has of this leader of Israel. Let's face it, since Netanyahu has taken over, just look at the number of attacks...either rocket or manned...against Israel. They've been almost non-existent. And it is my belief that top Hamas leaders are fidgeting. They are not positive that Netanyahu won't send in an action by the IDF to get Shalit and if they do, it will be lethal to Hamas. Couple all of this with what Hamas leadership freshly remembers about Operation Cast Lead.
Like I say, Hamas won't give up Gilad Shalit without asking for the world but it's obvious to me that they WANT him out of their hands soon.
Israeli official: Captured soldier looks healthy
JERUSALEM (AP) - An Israeli official says a captured Israeli soldier looks healthy and speaks lucidly about his past in a two-minute video released by Gaza militants.
The official says he saw the video of Sgt. Gilad Schalit, who was captured by Hamas-linked militants in June 2006.
It was the first glimpse of Schalit since he was taken captive.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity Friday because he was not authorized to discuss the substance of the footage with reporters.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
JERUSALEM (AP)—Israel freed 19 Palestinian women prisoners on Friday after Hamas militants handed over a video disc offering a first glimpse of an Israeli soldier they've held captive for more than three years.
Israeli officials had no immediate word on the content of the footage or how Sgt. Gilad Schalit looked.
The deal is seen as a first, tentative step toward trading the 23-year-old Schalit for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
It could also herald an end to a crippling, Israel-led blockade of Gaza, which has prevented the territory from rebuilding after Israel's winter war there.
Israel imposed the blockade after Hamas, a violent group backed by Iran and Syria, seized power in Gaza two years ago. Israel has made it clear that it will not ease the embargo before the serviceman is freed.
About 200 people carrying Palestinian and other flags greeted vans carrying 18 of the women into the West Bank. The prisoners, wearing the headscarves of devout Muslim women, blew kisses to the crowd from the open windows of the vehicles.
Another woman returned to her home in Gaza. Yet another will be released to Gaza on Sunday, bringing to 20 the total number of women freed as part of the exchange, Israel's prisons service said.
The women had been jailed for relatively minor offenses and were close to release. Only a few were members of militant groups, and most were assigned supporting roles, such as helping bombers reach their targets, said Bothaina Duqmaq, a prisoners' rights activist in the West Bank,
An Israeli official said Israel's lead negotiator in prisoner swap talks had left the Defense Ministry compound in Tel Aviv, where he viewed the disc, for Jerusalem, where he was to show it to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The official said a copy would also be delivered to Schalit's family in northern Israel.
He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss developments as they were unfolding.
Schalit was captured in June 2006 by Hamas-linked militants in Gaza who tunneled under the border into Israel, killed two other soldiers and dragged him bleeding into Palestinian territory.
Before Friday, the only signs of life from him had been several letters and an audio recording. Only one of the letters—written three months after his capture—has been released, just last month. Hamas has not allowed the Red Cross to visit the soldier.
Israel and Hamas shun each other, and German and Egyptian mediators have been acting as go-betweens in swap talks.
Israel had said the women would not be freed unless the video disc met three criteria: It had to be provably recent, Schalit had to be talking clearly into the camera, and the footage had to be at least a minute long.
The footage will not be shown to the public if the family doesn't want it released, and even if they agree, it wasn't clear whether it would be aired on Friday, an Israeli official said.
Hamas has said it must receive permission from the German mediator before authorizing the release of copies of the videotape to the media.
Israel has said Friday's deal was suggested by mediators as a "confidence-building measure." But Israeli officials have predicted that negotiations for a final deal would be long and difficult.
The Palestinians want Israel to trade up to 1,000 Palestinian prisoners for Schalit, including many convicted of deadly attacks on Israelis. Talks have snagged over the specific prisoners the Palestinians want freed and where they are to go after their release.
Still, both Hamas and Israel appear eager to wrap up a deal.
Schalit's return would end a painful chapter in Israel, where military service is compulsory and his long captivity has touched a raw nerve.
Many Israelis have rallied behind the soldier and his family, holding protests calling for his release and decorating their cars with bumper stickers bearing his name. As speculation about a possible prisoner swap grows, however, arguments against his release have grown louder, because of the high price Israel would have to pay.
Hamas' profile, meanwhile, would be raised in Palestinian territories by the loosening of the blockade and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
Prisoners enjoy an eminent status in Palestinian society because so many families have members in Israeli jails. A large-scale release would be a coup for Hamas as it jockeys for power against the moderate government led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank.
