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Palestinians officials critical of Schalit deal

By JPOST.COM STAFF

OCTOBER 13, 2011 10:38

Despite strong praise from the Palestinian leadership over Israel's agreement to release over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for tank gunner Gilad Schalit, some Hamas officials criticized the deal for failing to include certain senior Palestinian officials.

According to Israel Radio, Hamas officials were wary to approve a deal that did not include Fatah's Marwam Barghouti, PFLP Secretary-General Ahmad Sa'adat, and senior officials from Hamas's militant wing Ibrahim Hamad, Abdullah Barghouti, and Abbas as-Said, all of whom have connections to fatal terror attacks, or groups that carried them out.

At the same time, Palestinian sources "familiar with deal" told pan-Arab London-based newspaper Al Hayat that Palestinians had "fought fierce negotiations for the release of the prisoners," adding that it was impossible for both sides to receive 100 percent.

And Egyptian source told Al Hayat that Cairo, which mediated negotiations between the Hamas and Israel, had made more than 20 proposals in an attempt to "close the gap" between the negotiating parties, which rested on the difference of only a few dozen prisoners.

"Hamas achieved 60 percent of its demands," in the agreement, the source said.

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