These do not include over 300 terrorists who were convicted in military courts and who do not require a presidential pardon. The names of the terrorists to be released appear on the Israel Prison Service site, which had registered 14,000 entries by late this morning.
Mustafa Dirani, an Amal-group terrorist leader who held, tortured and sold Ron Arad to Iranian-backed terrorist forces in Lebanon, and who was later captured by Israeli commandos in 1994, is suing Israel. He claims that an investigator known as "George" and an Israeli soldier tortured and abused him during questioning, and demands six million shekels in damages. Israeli prosecutors say that the charges have been investigated and found to be untrue, and that Dirani invented the charges in order to produce himself with an excuse for having talked. "Dirani gave us some important information," Prosecutor Shammai Becker told reporters today. "When he returns to Lebanon, and after the celebrations end, he will be asked to 'explain' how is it that he gave over the information - and he will say that an Israeli soldier raped him, and he was tortured, etc."
Elchanan Tenenbaum, who was kidnapped during a business trip abroad that was arranged by Israeli-Arabs over three years ago, met yesterday in Lebanon with the German mediator. When informed that his return home had already begun, tears streamed down his face as he repeated again and again, "Finally, finally." His condition is said to be "reasonable," though he is suffering from a skin disease.
The mediator was also scheduled to receive samplings of tissue from the three bodies, so that Israeli experts could identify them. Details of the exchange itself are being kept secret by the German authorities.
Mustafa Dirani, an Amal-group terrorist leader who held, tortured and sold Ron Arad to Iranian-backed terrorist forces in Lebanon, and who was later captured by Israeli commandos in 1994, is suing Israel. He claims that an investigator known as "George" and an Israeli soldier tortured and abused him during questioning, and demands six million shekels in damages. Israeli prosecutors say that the charges have been investigated and found to be untrue, and that Dirani invented the charges in order to produce himself with an excuse for having talked. "Dirani gave us some important information," Prosecutor Shammai Becker told reporters today. "When he returns to Lebanon, and after the celebrations end, he will be asked to 'explain' how is it that he gave over the information - and he will say that an Israeli soldier raped him, and he was tortured, etc."
Elchanan Tenenbaum, who was kidnapped during a business trip abroad that was arranged by Israeli-Arabs over three years ago, met yesterday in Lebanon with the German mediator. When informed that his return home had already begun, tears streamed down his face as he repeated again and again, "Finally, finally." His condition is said to be "reasonable," though he is suffering from a skin disease.
The mediator was also scheduled to receive samplings of tissue from the three bodies, so that Israeli experts could identify them. Details of the exchange itself are being kept secret by the German authorities.