Hamas wants popular leader freed in Shalit deal

ramallah, west bank  |  Senior Hamas officials said this week that the Islamic militant group is still sparring with Israel over the names of 50 prisoners it wants released in exchange for captured Israeli solder Gilad Shalit.

Although Hamas’ interior minister said he hoped a deal would be reached in the next few weeks, the quibbling over names signaled there were still significant gaps.

Last week, Israeli and Hamas officials spoke of progress, raising speculation that an agreement could be wrapped up within days. Hamas is demanding some 1,000 prisoners in exchange for Shalit, whom they have held captive for more than three years.

But Hamas officials said Israel is still balking at including prominent political leaders and top Hamas militants. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the German-mediated negotiations.

At the top of the contested list is Marwan Barghouti, a popular leader of Hamas’ rival Fatah, who is serving five consecutive life terms for his role in shooting attacks that killed four Israelis and a Greek monk. Barghouti is seen as a possible successor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and Israel is wary of freeing him.

Hamas also is demanding the release of Ibrahim Hamed, who masterminded a slew of terror attacks against Israel, and is not willing to reach a compromise, an official said.

A German mediator has been based in Jerusalem for the past three months, shuttling regularly to Gaza to broker terms of the agreement, a Hamas official said. He said that in addition to the 50 disputed names, the sides are also arguing over Israel’s demand that some 130 people be deported after their release. Hamas wants that number reduced.

Still, in Gaza, Hamas’ interior minister, Fathi Hamad, said Hamas hoped to complete the deal by the Dec. 14 anniversary of its founding, or Dec. 27, the one-year anniversary of an Israeli offensive in Gaza.

Israeli officials have refused to discuss the status of negotiations. But in response to a petition filed by a victims’ rights group, the Israeli Justice Ministry confirmed that a total of 980 prisoners were set for release — the first concrete details on the deal the Israelis have made public.

“In principle there is a possibility that 450 prisoners who were demanded by the Hamas will be released. Their release is being studied meticulously in accordance to various considerations and on a rational security basis,” the statement said. “In addition there will be a unilateral release as a gesture to the Palestinian people where about 530 additional prisoners will be released.”

At a Supreme Court hearing Nov. 30, Israeli media reported the state attorney told the justices that the German mediator threatened to quit if the names of the Palestinian prisoners were released prematurely.

Israel is eager to see the release of Shalit, whose plight has generated much sympathy from the public. At the same time, the government fears the deal could bolster Hamas at the expense of Abbas.

Hamas could tout the prisoners’ release as proof the militant movement can win concessions from Israel at a time when Abbas is looking ineffective to Palestinians.

Barghouti, 50, took a hard-line stance toward Israel in a letter from his prison cell read to supporters last week. He called for a diplomatic boycott, said negotiations have reached a dead end and claimed Israel’s government is not a partner for peace.

Barghouti’s supporters often bill him as a figure who can lead the Palestinians out of their impasse.

Khader Shkirat, Barghouti’s lawyer, said Barghouti supports “the principle of negotiations” with Israel but that they should be coupled with “actions on the ground that fight the occupation,” including demonstrations, sit-ins and “all types of peaceful, popular resistance.”

Polls show the diminutive, chubby Barghouti, who speaks fluent Hebrew and has Israeli friends, is the most popular Palestinian leader since the late Yasser Arafat. The former leader of Arafat’s Fatah movement in the West Bank, he has avoided the reputation for corruption that has tarnished many Fatah members and undermined the movement’s popularity.

He turned more militant during a Palestinian uprising that began in 2000, launching anti-Israel diatribes, and Israel locked him up seven years ago after convicting him of involvement in attacks that killed four Israelis and a Greek monk.

Barghouti mounted a campaign for president from his prison cell in 2004, opposing Abbas, but he dropped out just before the voting. He has not said he’d run for the presidency again, but it’s assumed he has his eye on the job.

His release could prevent a leadership vacuum if Abbas follows through with his threats to step down. Still, while Abbas and other Fatah members have publicly called for his release, his entry into politics could cause friction with members of the movement who have been jockeying for leadership during the years of his imprisonment.

Barghouti’s bigger challenge would be rebuilding relations with Hamas.

The Associated Press and Jerusalem Post contributed to this report.