Gaza City – Hamas confirmed Wednesday it will no longer work with a German negotiator trying to broker a prisoner swap agreement over the release of an Israeli soldier held in the Gaza Strip for the past five years. ‘He is not a fair negotiator,’ Hamas Gaza spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in an interview with the German Press Agency dpa.
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An official of Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND) has been trying to negotiate a deal whereby Hamas will free soldier Gilad Shalit, taken captive on June 25, 2006 during a cross-border raid launched from the Gaza Strip, in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
According to Abu Zhuri, the negotiator had brokered a ‘joint understanding’ with Israel, but then Premier Benjamin Netanyahu backed out and ‘unfortunately, the German negotiator adopted Netanjahu’s stance.’
‘The negotiator pulled back from what was understood. I believe the German negotiator has harmed the reputation of Germany in this specific issue,’ Abu Zuhri said.
Hamas is demanding that Israel free 1,000 Palestinians held in its jails in return for releasing Shalit, now 24 years old. However, negotiations have floundered over the release of several older, hard-core militants serving long sentences, who Israel says are behind some of the worst attacks carried out against it.
Israel also refuses to allow others still considered dangerous to be released to their West Bank homes, from where they could easily access Israeli population centres. On Sunday, Netanyahu said Israel had accepted a German-mediated deal, despite it being ‘difficult’ and ‘not simple.’
Since he was seized in the raid by three Palestinian militant organizations, Shalit has been held largely incommunicado. The only signs of life from him are three letters, an audio tape released a year after he was taken, and a brief video broadcast on October 2, 2009.
Abu Zhuri refused to tell dpa whether Shalit was still alive.
‘I can’t answer that question. I cannot confirm or deny this,’ he said.
Hamas last week rejected a call from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to allow it to visit Shalit, or to provide a sign of life from him.
Asked whether Hamas was afraid ICRC members could lead Israel to Shalit, Abu Zuhri replied simply, ‘Yes. True.’
Well, at least Germany is trying. Hamas is so paranoid that unless you are solidly on their side, they call you biased.