Mousa Abu Marzouq, deputy head of the Hamas Political Bureau, told Al Hayat Newspaper, that there are no current prisoner-swap talks, and that Israeli Prime Minister, Netanyahu, is responsible for the failed talks.He added that Hamas is expecting a final Israeli response regarding the swap-deal in the coming two days.
Israel still insists on deporting dozens of detainees instead of allowing them to return to their homes.
“Should Prisoner-swap talks fail, Netanyahu will be the one to blame”, Abu Marzouq said, Netanyahu backtracked on several issues, he and his predecessor, Ehud Olmert, were never committed to implementing deals signed by Israeli during any sort of negotiations”.
He said that Israel’s final and official response would be delivered to the German mediator, Ernest Orlaw, in the coming two days.
Hamas is demanding the release of hundreds of detainees, including resistance fighters, detainees sentenced to high terms and those who spent many years in prison, in addition to releasing sick detainees, and all detained women and children.
Prisoner of war, Gilad Shalit, was captured by the Palestinian resistance in June 2006.
According to Israeli daily, Haaretz, Abu Marzouk said that the German mediator should have done certain actions, and that he could have been doing more in his efforts to broker a swap deal.
Last week, Abu Marzouk said that the German mediator is not the first and not the last.
He added that neither Netanyahu nor the former Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, respect and implement deals reached in negotiations.
He stated that should swap talks fail, Netanyahu will be responsible for this failure.
Israeli online daily, Haaretz, reported that Netanyahu stated on Thursday that Israel will not show any more “flexibility” in swap-talks, and that he will not accept the release of what he described as “dangerous terrorists” into the West Bank.
Netanyahu added that Israel’s stance is final, and that his government will not make any more “concessions”.
Netanyahu formed a seven-member committee, headed by him, and includes Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman and several other ministers.
The committee is in charge of deliberations regarding the swap-deal, and objects to any “more concessions regarding the release of Palestinian detainees”.
The Israel Prime Minister stated that his government will continue the efforts to bring Shalit back home, but will not agree to any deal that “would compromise Israel’s security interests”, Haaretz said.
As for the issue of the slain Egyptian soldier, Abu Marzouq reiterated the statements of Hamas spokesperson, Fawzi Barhoum, and said that the Egyptian soldier who was killed near the border with Gaza was shot by Egyptian fire.
He said that the soldier, facing the border, was killed by accident as he was shot in the back from the Egyptian side, and added that the Egyptian fire was targeting a Palestinian youth who crossed into the Egyptian side while carrying a Palestinian flag.
The Palestinian youth fell down and the fall fractured his arms and legs. He fell while climbing a monitoring tower.
He called on Egypt to examine the bullet. The Egyptian soldier was killed last Wednesday.
