Abbas making all-out effort to win soldiers release
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas today said he is making an all-out effort to win the release of an Israeli soldier held by Hamas-allied militants, but also called on Israel to free thousands of Palestinian prisoners.
Abbas spoke hours after a top Israeli official indicated for the first time that Israel is willing to cut a two-stage deal for the release of the soldier, Cpl Gilad Shalit, who was seized on June 25.
Israeli officials said today that Shalit is alive and being held in Gaza.
Under an Egyptian proposal, Hamas would free Shalit and halt rocket fire, and Israel would at a later stage release an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners as a good-will gesture.
Abbas told reporters he was working “with all means” to bring about the release of Shalit.
“But at the same time, the world must know that there are more than 10,000 (Palestinian) prisoners,” he said.
“They are also humans, just like the soldier. It is the duty of Israel and the world to look at them in a humanitarian way, so that they can return to their people.”
Abbas said Egyptian officials are optimistic. “They still think it’s possible to reach a deal,” he said of the Egyptian brokers.
“They have their own ways of delivering messages and receiving messages from those who are holding him (Shalit),” he said.
