Shalit's father: Palestinians in prison because of Mashaal
Kidnapped soldier's father Noam calls on Israeli government to make efforts to release Palestinian prisoners, warns Palestinians Mashaal’s stubbornness obstructing release of prisoners
Shalit gave an interview to one of the Palestinian radio networks earlier Monday evening, in which he wished the Muslims in Israel and in the Palestinian Authority a happy holiday, adding that the situation in Gaza could be a lot calmer if Mashaal, Hamas' politburo chief, was not so stubborn.
Many speculations were heard in the past regarding the expected date of the kidnapped soldier’s release, in reference to the month of Ramadan; that he would be released in the beginning of the month, at the end of it, perhaps during it.
“The fact is that nothing has happened and Gilad is still not home,” Shalit said. He added that he had not received any new information recently about his son’s condition.
The Palestinian news agency “Wafa” also quoted Shalit and reported that he called on Israel’s government to make efforts to release Palestinian prisoners in order to bring his son home.
He expressed hope that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s efforts along with Israel’s efforts would succeed in reaching an agreement on the issue.
It was recently reported that Syria, and even Iran, were pressuring Mashaal not to reach an agreement which would lead to the release of the kidnapped soldier.
A senior IDF Intelligence official refused to speak of the Shalit issue, however he did speak of Mashaal and Syria and said that “it’s obvious that Syria isn’t pressuring Mashaal to be moderate.”
The official added, “Mashaal is the strongest man in the Palestinian system today. He has the most influence on what happens in the Palestinian arena and he is the one who sets the tone that decided Hamas’ stances.
“Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh tried to influence an agreement with Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) but falied to do so. So all Hamas officials follow Khaled Mashaal’s line, which is mainly a commitment to Jihad over other principles like government. There aren’t significant forces in Hamas trying to take the organization in a more pragmatic direction these days,” the IDF Intelligence official told Ynet.
It appeared even the Egyptians shared that view. Egyptian Intelligence Head Omar Suliman recently met with Mashaal in Damascs and raised a number of suggestions for solutions to the crisis in the PA.
Although talks continue, it seemed that Egyptian mediation efforts were fruitless, as Mashaal continues to demonstrate a hard line against Israel regarding the Gilad Shalit issue.
