Israel Set to Free 400 Prisoners in Hezbollah Deal [View All]

[bemildred]

There is a high noise level on this subject (lots of
different stories about the "deal" that disagree) but this
one has some interesting bits.

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, 24 September 2003 - Israel is to release about 400 Palestinian and Arab detainees
next week as part of a long-awaited prisoner exchange deal with the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance group,
Palestinian newspapers reported yesterday.

Citing an 'informed Palestinian source', Al-Quds daily said the German-mediated exchange would
'probably' take place after the end of Jewish New Year festivities this weekend. Around 185 Lebanese, Syrian
and Jordanian prisoners would be released as part of the deal while the rest would be Palestinian, the report
said.

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Interior Security Minister Tzachi Hanegbi had earlier said that Barghouti, who is on trial but has yet to be
convicted ?will stay in prison for dozens of years.?

The Ramallah-based Al-Ayyam newspaper, however, said it was ?nearly certain? that Barghouti and Yussef
would be among those released. Barghouti, 44, who is seen by many as the inspiration behind the Palestinian
uprising that broke out in 2000, was arrested in April 2002 and brought before an Israeli court for the first time
last September.

AlJazeerah