‘Shalit Deal’ German Mediator Warns of Losing Another Opportunity

  • Date: 25-Sep-2021
  • Source: Asharq AL-awsat
  • Sector:Economy
  • Country:Middle East
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‘Shalit Deal’ German Mediator Warns of Losing Another Opportunity

An Israeli flag next to the gate of Megiddo Prison (Reuters)

Former German top foreign intelligence officer of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), Gerhard Conrad, revealed that he had reached a good agreement for the Shalit deal between the Israeli government and Hamas in 2009. However, the former Israeli Premier canceled at the last moment and agreed to a different deal with worse terms.

Conrad's statements came at a time as the new deal between Hamas and Israel is facing great difficulties.

Hamas demands that Palestinian women and children be released in exchange for giving Israel information on the condition of its prisoners. It later demanded the release of 1,100 prisoners, including all life-sentence prisoners, and the six prisoners who managed to escape Gilboa high-security jail and were re-arrested.

Israel wants to release a small number of prisoners and refuses to release prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment.

In a lengthy interview with the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, Conrad revealed some secrets of the negotiations he conducted between Israel and Hezbollah and Syria and between Israel and Hamas.

He explained that former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a deal between Hamas and his representative Hagai Hadas.

Conrad described the 70 rounds of negotiations between the two parties as