The Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) one of three groups holding Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, captive since mid-2006, stated that the corporal could have been freed if Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had not obstructed prisoner-swap talks.Abu Mujahed, spokesperson of the PRC, stated that Netanyahu is fully responsible for the obstruction of swap talks, due to his preconditions and his rejection to the list of detainees presented by the resistance.
The statements of Abu Mujahed came as Shalit entered, Saturday, his fifth year in captivity.
He was captured when fighters of three resistance factions, the Al Qassam Brigades of Hamas, the Popular Resistance Committees, and the Army of Islam, infiltrated into an Israeli military camp across the border with Gaza; two soldiers and two fighters were killed in the attack.
Abu Mujahed further stated that despite Israel’s advanced technologies, its sophisticated systems and its collaborators, it was never able to resolve any of its security and political dilemmas.
The PRC spokesperson also said that Israel and its Prime Minister must accept the demands of the resistance if they really want to free Shalit.
As for the recent Israeli decision to increase the sanctions on the Palestinian detainees, by preventing visitations and imposing tougher living conditions on them, in addition to ongoing attacks against them, Abu Mujahed said that such violations would only make the detainees more persistent to achieve their rights.
He added that Shalit will not be the last soldier to be captured, and that the resistance will do all it can to secure the release of all Palestinian detainees.
It is worth mentioning that the recent statements made by the Red Cross, demanding the release of Shalit, caused anger among the families of the detainees, who said that Israel is holding captive more than 7000 Palestinian political prisoners “while the Red Cross is demanding the release of the one and only Israeli prisoner in Palestinian hands”.
Also on Saturday, thousands of protestors marched in Gaza city marking the anniversary of Shalit’s capture, and set up a fake prison cell, while a Palestinian dressed like Shalit sat in the cell, with grey head, and words written on the cell reading “Olmert had forgotten me”, “Netanyahu disappointed me“, “am still in captivity, save me”.
In related news, the Hamas movement issued a press release on Saturday also holding Israel for the collapse of prisoner-swap talks, and stating that Shalit will never be released without “an honorable prisoner-swap agreement”.
Hamas added that Netanyahu “and his criminal policies” are responsible for the lack of progress in swap talks.
