The first phase of the Shalit prisoner swap began on early morning Tuesday, with captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit being released into Israel in return for 450 Palestinian prisoners now in the Palestinian cities of Rafah and Ramallah. According to latest reports, the Israeli army began releasing prisoners as soon as Shalit was confirmed to have entered Israel for the first time since his capture in 2006. Clashes were reported at the Beitunia checkpoint near Ramallah, with Israeli forces spraying protesters with foul-smelling water.
Shalit also spoke with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he was in good health, and he reportedly did not need a translator to speak to Egyptian officials as he was fluent in Arabic. No released Palestinian prisoner has been yet able to speak to relatives, but Palestinian officials are preparing to meet them in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Palestinian Prisoners Thank Egypt and Hamas
Al-Jazeera TV crews were first on the scene in Egypt to speak to the prisoners, while Egyptian Nile TV broadcast its English-language interview with Shalit.
"We thank the Egyptian government and people and everyone involved in the completion of this deal," said an unnamed prisoner interviewed on al-Jazeera, the first interview given since the release. "The price of this deal was so high, one to one thousand. Israel marketed itself at a high price. The Hamas fighters did a great job of keeping Shalit hidden."
Another prisoner, asked about President Abbas' statehood bid, said the United Nations did not express the hopes of the Palestinian people and could only provide words on paper. He said an agreement between Fatah and Hamas was paramount, then the release of the rest of the 5,000 Palestinian prisoners, then the "liberation of all Palestine."
The same prisoner said he was shocked that one Israeli prisoner received so much attention, while "nobody cared" about the Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
Shalit: "I Will Be Happy if All Palestinian Prisoners Released"
On Egyptian TV, Shalit confirmed his identity and said he was good health and surprised the deal had happened so quickly. He said he had expected to be held longer and credited his release to strong Egyptian relationships with both Israel and Hamas.
"I will be happy if all [the Palestinian prisoners] are allowed to go back to their families, friends, and lands," said Shalit to a Nile TV reporter, asked if he would help "campaign for their release." "I hope this deal creates peace between Palestine and Israel."
Welcoming Parties Planned
President Mahmoud Abbas awaits the roughly 100 prisoners due to be released in the West Bank in the city of Ramallah, while Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh is in Rafah, reportedly preparing a welcoming party of 500,000, in which he will sit alongside the 297 Palestinian prisoners released to the Gaza Strip.
Welcoming parties are also planned in the major West Bank cities of Ramallah, Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus, and Jenin. In Rafah, former Hamas military commander and released prisoner Yehya Sinwar is scheduled to speak.
According to al-Jazeera, Hamas has promised that all the prisoners released into Gaza will be provided with an apartment, a car, and a salary for life. Only 133 of the nearly 300 prisoners going to Gaza hail from the Strip. A further 40 Palestinian prisoners will be deported abroad, with 15 going to Syria, 15 to Turkey, and 10 to Qatar. Al-Jazeera reported on Tuesday morning that Qatar had offered to take all the prisoners and has chartered a special plane to do so.
Two female Palestinian prisoners reportedly refused to enter the Gaza Strip for about an hour before relenting.
Clashes in Beitunia
In Beitunia, Israeli army spokesmen asked Palestinian families to leave the checkpoint before the prisoners would be allowed to cross. The resulting clashes involved rock-throwing protesters facing off against Israeli soldiers, who used truck-mounted water cannons to spray them with foul-smelling water called "skunk."
PNN - Palestine News Network
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