Sunday night will be the last chance for Hamas to reach a prisoner swap deal with Israel for the return of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, according to a senior source in the Prime Minister's Office.
The Cabinet is set to meet Monday for a special session to discuss the matter and vote on any deal the terrorist group might propose. On Tuesday, Prime Minister-designate Binyamin Netanyahu will present his new coalition to the Knesset for approval.
"This is the final effort," said a senior source in the Prime Minister's Office. There is time until Sunday night to reach a deal." He emphasized that there is also a chance "it can get stuck," warning that there is still no breakthrough.
Shalit's father, Noam, was equally cautious. "We know what everyone else knows, and we're still unclear about the significance of what's going on," he said. Speaking from the protest tent across from the Prime Minister's residence in Jerusalem, where he has spent the last seven days, the elder Shalit said that other than hearing that the Israeli envoys had returned to Cairo, he had "heard nothing."
History of Last-Minute Disappointments
Hamas has torpedoed every agreement advanced thus far by Israel, insisting that the Jewish State free hundreds of convicted murderers with "blood on their hands," including many whose release is unacceptable to the government.
Since Shalit was captured on June 25, 2006, there have been numerous attempts by Arab and other international leaders to negotiate a deal for his freedom.
Each time agreement on the terms approached, Hamas found a last-minute reason to back away, usually blaming Israel for not including top terrorists on the prisoner exchange list, and increasing the number of those whose freedom was demanded.
"In this tango, there are always fears that we are moving one step forward and one step back, or two steps forward and then three steps back," Noam Shalit pointed out. "But it ain't over till it's over," he added.
Shalit recommended that Hamas accept the current proposal, "because they won't be receiving a better deal from the Netanyahu-Lieberman government."
Current Deal: Includes 450 Killers, Expulsion for Some
Most recently, Hamas has demanded the release of 1,000 Palestinian Authority prisoners being held in Israeli jails, including hundreds who have been convicted of murdering Israelis and others in terror attacks.
Although there is a media blackout on the specifics of the negotiations, various foreign sources are reporting that 450 prisoners with "blood on their hands" are to be freed if the deal goes through. These include convicted murderers and masterminds of suicide bombings whose freedom was demanded by Hamas.
In the first stage of implementation, Shalit would be transferred to Egyptian custody, and 300 PA prisoners would be freed from Israeli jails. Shalit's parents would fly to Egypt to meet their son there.
In the second stage, another 150 prisoners would be freed, and Shalit would be returned to Israel. The remaining 550 prisoners would be released once Shalit is back in the Jewish State.
Remaining Points of Contention
In addition to disagreement over which convicted murderers Israel will allow to go free, there is a question over which murderers the Jewish State will insist on expelling from within its current borders, which encompass Gaza, Judea and Samaria.
Hamas reportedly has balked at the idea of expelling any of the prisoners at all. An Egyptian source also noted "there are still disagreements on the names of prisoners to be released."
Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) Director Yuval Diskin joined outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's envoy Ofer Dekel last week for three days of talks with Hamas terrorists, brokered by Egyptian intelligence officials in Cairo.
The two Israeli envoys returned Friday to Jerusalem to brief Olmert on the talks, and then traveled back to Cairo Saturday night to resume the discussions. Prime Minister-elect Netanyahu has been updated on the developments as well.