[Jerusalem Post ] Yaakov Katz, Khaled Abu Toameh, and Ben Sales - Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar said on Monday that Israel's decision to free Lebanese murderer Samir Kuntar and others in a prisoner exchange with Hizbullah would pave the way for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. "Israel has agreed to release prisoners who it says have blood on their hands. We must therefore seize the opportunity and seek the release of our prisoners," Zahar said. "There should be no difference between the case of [abducted Israeli soldier Gilad] Shalit and the case of Kuntar." An Israeli defense official explained, "They see what price we are willing to pay for bodies and think they can now get more for Shalit, who is alive."
2008-07-01 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive