CAIRO: Comments from unnamed Hamas officials have indicated a desire to replace Egypt with Germany in the arbitration role between the group and Israel for the prisoner exchange of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
The comments come after German mediators were successful in negotiating the prisoner exchange between Hezbollah and Israel for the remains of two Israeli soldiers.
Speaking to Israel Radio, an unnamed Hamas official said, “The Egyptians have proved that they are unable to put enough pressure on Israel to accept our demands.
Another official from the group is reported to have said that Hamas felt the Egyptians “were on Israel s side more than on our side.
Speaking to the Palestinian Information center website, a Hamas official from Gaza, Khalil Hayeh, called for international mediators to get involved in the exchange, saying “There should be a role for a mediator in completing this deal, though he added that “the issue is not the mediator, but the Zionist enemy.
Hayeh also said that after the successful swap with Hezbollah, “Hamas will benefit from the release [by Israel to Lebanon] of prisoners with blood on their hands and this will help Hamas reach a similar deal.
So far, Israel has only accepted 70 names from the list of prisoners to be released submitted by Hamas through Egypt. Hamas refuses to budge from a full list of 450 prisoners they want to see released from Israeli prisons.
Chief among the prisoners wanted by Hamas are Marwan Barghouti and leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Ahmed Saadat.
Both Israeli and Hamas delegations are due to travel this week to Egypt to resume the negotiations. They will meet separately with Egyptian officials.
