Prime Minister Ehud Olmert claimed Monday afternoon that Hizbullah's return of what it said are body parts of soldiers killed in the Second Lebanon War was a unilateral move. He maintained that Israel was not consulted with what Hizbullah called a "good will" measure after Israel released Hizbullah spy Nissim Nasser on Sunday morning.
Red Cross spokesman Helge Kvan also claimed that the move by Hizbullah was totally unexpected. The Prime Minister's reaction served to dampen speculation that the transfer of body parts was a preliminary move towards a broader exchange of Hizbullah terrorists for the return of kidnapped IDF soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, who officials have said may be dead. Abu Kabir Institute forensic experts are conducting DNA examinations at this time to determine the identities of the soldiers.
Nasser exploited his mother's being Jewish and returned from Lebanon to Israel under the Law of Return. He was sentenced in 2002 to a six-year-term in prison.