Prime Minister Ariel Sharon met with the ministers of the mini-Cabinet this morning to discuss the increasingly complicated story of the prisoner exchange-in-the-works. Gen. (res.) Ilan Biran, who is in charge of the negotiations with Hizbullah via German mediators, provided the ministers - Shalom, Lapid, Olmert and Mofaz - with a detailed overview of the course of the talks.
The deal as it stands at present involves Hizbullah's return of Elchanan Tenenbaum and the bodies of three Israeli soldiers, in exchange for over 400 Arab terrorists imprisoned in Israel. Hizbullah abducted Tenenbaum three years ago, around the same time that the terrorist group killed the three soldiers and snatched their bodies - not necessarily in that order - as they were patrolling Israel's northern border.
The hitch in the deal is that Ron Arad is not involved. The missing navigator, captured by Lebanese in 1986 and later sold to Iranian terrorists, has not been heard from in 15 years. However, an official Israeli commission recently reported that there is no evidence proving that Arad is dead. Moreover, three Iranian exiles - a diplomat and two intelligence personnel - have said that a wheelchair-bound Ron Arad was seen in a jail cell three years ago. (See next article for more details.)
Further complicating the matter is the fact that public support for a Tenenbaum deal without Arad appears likely to drop when and if the circumstances surrounding Tenenbaum's abduction are released. A court ruled yesterday that the story may be publicized, in opposition to his family's request, but only on Monday - in order to allow his children to appeal the decision. Tenenbaum's son and daughter have in fact announced that they plan to do so on Sunday.
In short, the deal as it currently stands involves close to 500 terrorists in exchange for Elchanan Tenenbaum and three corpses, and includes no guarantee on information regarding Ron Arad. Several ministers have come out against such a deal, including Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz, who says that both Arad and Azzam Azzam, imprisoned in Egypt seven years ago, must be included in the exchange.
The deal as it stands at present involves Hizbullah's return of Elchanan Tenenbaum and the bodies of three Israeli soldiers, in exchange for over 400 Arab terrorists imprisoned in Israel. Hizbullah abducted Tenenbaum three years ago, around the same time that the terrorist group killed the three soldiers and snatched their bodies - not necessarily in that order - as they were patrolling Israel's northern border.
The hitch in the deal is that Ron Arad is not involved. The missing navigator, captured by Lebanese in 1986 and later sold to Iranian terrorists, has not been heard from in 15 years. However, an official Israeli commission recently reported that there is no evidence proving that Arad is dead. Moreover, three Iranian exiles - a diplomat and two intelligence personnel - have said that a wheelchair-bound Ron Arad was seen in a jail cell three years ago. (See next article for more details.)
Further complicating the matter is the fact that public support for a Tenenbaum deal without Arad appears likely to drop when and if the circumstances surrounding Tenenbaum's abduction are released. A court ruled yesterday that the story may be publicized, in opposition to his family's request, but only on Monday - in order to allow his children to appeal the decision. Tenenbaum's son and daughter have in fact announced that they plan to do so on Sunday.
In short, the deal as it currently stands involves close to 500 terrorists in exchange for Elchanan Tenenbaum and three corpses, and includes no guarantee on information regarding Ron Arad. Several ministers have come out against such a deal, including Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz, who says that both Arad and Azzam Azzam, imprisoned in Egypt seven years ago, must be included in the exchange.