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Source: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/10/13/gilad_shalit_prisoner_swap_deal_just_a_deal
No Wider Significance to Shalit Prisoner Swap
(Foreign Policy) Aaron David Miller - Let's not have any illusions: The deal for kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was self-contained; it offers no first phase of a broader political deal between Israel and Hamas. For Hamas, the deal makes enormous sense. The organization is increasingly unpopular in Gaza, having failed to deliver a better economy, freedom of movement, or relief from taxes; it needed a lift. As Abbas grabs the center stage at the UN with a faux statehood initiative, Hamas delivers concrete gains at home.